Our priority is on poll promises, says Finance Minister Ajanta Neog

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam's first woman Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said on Thursday that the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government's top focus would be to fast-track implementation of all the promises made by BJP and its allies AGP and UPPL in the run-up to the Assam Assembly elections, 2021.

Talking to The Sentinel, Neog said that the committee set up under her chairpersonship to look into the issue of giving jobs to one lakh unemployed youths of the State would sit within a month and submit a roadmap at the earliest possible. The BJP had promised that if voted to power, it would give employment to one lakh unemployed youths of the state every year.

The committee would also look into vacancies in different Assam government departments so that the respective departments can start recruitment.

Referring to BJP's other poll promise of giving relief to women who had taken loan from microfinance institutions (MFIs), Neog said that a committee to look into issues related to this has been set up under Ashok Singhal, Minister for Guwahati Development, Urban Development and Irrigation.

Talking about BJP's flagship programme for women, the Orunodoi scheme, Neog said that the entire month of July this year would be celebrated as Orunodoi scheme month, government officials would visit every poor family of the state as part of the government's initiative to hear from the people on how to improve the performance and delivery of benefits under the scheme. Under the Orunodoi scheme, Rs 830 is given every month to women of marginalized families. There are at least 15,000 beneficiaries in every Legislative Assembly Constituency under the scheme. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had in his earlier role as the Finance Minister of Assam had said that the BJP government would look at increasing the payout to Rs 3,000 a month in a phased manner. The government would work towards delivering on this promise too.

Neog said that the state is in a comfortable financial position as Chief Minister Sarma as the earlier Finance Minister has Rs 7000 crore left in the state exchequer, and the present government would use this as capital for now.

Ajanta Neog is a five-time MLA from Golaghat. She had won the Golaghat seat four times as a Congress candidate. She held the portfolios of Housing, Urban Development and PWD during her three terms as a Minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress governments. She joined the BJP in 2020.

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