BTR Chief Pramod Boro Unveils Rs. 2004.62 Crore Budget for 2024-25, Emphasizes Child Rights and Environmental Initiatives

KOKRAJHAR: Chief of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Pramod Boro presented the normal budget outlay of Rs. 2004.62 crore with expected Rs. 80.16 crore deficit for the financial year, 2024-25 in the two-day BTC Budget Session of the council assembly that started on Tuesday. Boro shows the sources of estimated receipts of Rs. 72.39 crore from BTC’s own resources and Rs. 1932.22 crore from the government grants and estimated expenditure of Rs. 2084.78 crore leaving Rs. 80.16 crore as deficit.

After presenting the budget, the CEM Boro in his budget speech said the budget themed under ‘Vibrant BTR Mission 2024-25’ encapsulates the BTR government’s efforts for ensuring accountability, transparency, effectiveness, efficiency and timely delivery of services for the people of BTR. He also maintained that the budget ensured a continuity in implementation of the existing flagship programmes of the council government while envisaging landmark social justice efforts for the future. Focusing the Bodoland Child Rights Mission, Boro said child protection issues were largely neglected in BTR prior to the UPPL-BJP led BTR government for which a wide prevalence of abuse and exploitation of children were continuing. He said the present government had started the child protection mission with the theme - ‘Let’s act on our commitments: End child labour’ during the observation of the ‘World Day Against Child Labour held on June 12.

 To eliminate all the conditions that contribute to the prevalence of abuse and exploitation of children in the private as well as public spaces, the council government has proposed that the ‘Bodoland Child Rights Mission’ will be instituted in BTR and 1% of the budget for financial year, 2024-25 has been committed for the purpose. He also said the empowerment of differently abled persons programme of BTR has been introduced in recognition of the large number of differently abled persons in the society who need equitable support. There is a need to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all the disabled persons, he said adding that the council government will execute a cohesive interventional framework for the delivery of services, and promotion of rights and entitlements of the differently abled persons. He further said the mission will introduce special education and vocational training programmes for persons with disability in two I.T.Is of BTR starting with 50 in-take each and gradually going up each year in all the eleven it is and said for carrying out this mandate, the council has proposed to implement the empowerment of differently-abled persons programme in BTR during the financial year 2024-25 with an overall allocation of 1% of the council budget.

Boro said a special budgetary allocation of 1% of SOPD (G) 2024-25 had been proposed for the Bodoland Women Empowerment Mission to prioritize the empowerment of women, recognizing their critical role in driving societal change and economic development. He said through a three-tier women conclave in BTR, it is sought to empower the women of BTR to take up the leadership roles in VCDCs, TCLCCs and the council. He also said Aai Onsai Bithangki especially for women would be rolled out to support 6,000 women diagnosed with the high-risk pregnancies in 2024-25.

Green Bodoland Mission (GBM) is the most challenging and significant agenda of the government of BTR which corroborates with Prime Minister Modi’s statement- India’s next era will be a ‘Green Era’ enabling green industrialization. Based on the principles of ecological conservation and community prosperity, the GBM aims to build a strong and thriving ecosystem where nature and people live together in harmony, and at the same time work together to dispel the threats of global warming and climate change.

As per the landmark resolutions of the council government in the last winter session of the Bodoland Territorial Council Legislative Assembly held on December 28, 2023, it is committed that 2% of the SOPD budget of 2024 would be spent in the activities of GBM for massive tree plantation along with fencing, manuring and irrigation facilities across BTR, Miyawaki forest at BTC Secretariat campus, action-based research on ground water management for both availability and quality, and pilot project on wetland conservation, rigorous campaign on green mission and limiting the use of disposable plastic items, developing clean villages in BTR and incentivizing best performers, workshop on carbon sequestration/carbon offsetting/ground water and plastic pollution reduction. Boro also said the government had created avenues for engaging innovative pursuits of 5000 youths through participation in ‘Bodoland Green Brigades’ for carrying out incentivized plantation drives.

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