Assam rains sops in poll-oriented Budget
Assam rains sops in poll-oriented Budget
Rahul Karmakar, The Hindu
March 10, 2025
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government on Monday (March 10,
2025) presented a poll-oriented deficit Budget to woo tea plantation
workers, women, farmers, youth, government employees, and those in the
lower-income group.
These categories of people and their adult dependents form the bulk of the
voters in Assam, where Assembly elections are due in 2026.
The State’s Finance Minister Ajanta Neog presented a ₹2.63 lakh crore
Budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year with a deficit of ₹620.27 crore,
announcing a one-time financial assistance of ₹5,000 each for the State’s
6.8 lakh casual and permanent tea garden workers.
Ms. Neog said the government was “extending gratitude” toward the tea
garden community — Adivasis referred to as ‘tea tribes’ — on the occasion
of 200 years of the beverage industry in Assam.
Stating that the government was aware of the challenges faced by the tea
industry, Ms. Neog announced the extension of a tax holiday on green tea
leaves under the Assam Taxation (on Specified Lands) Act, 1990 for another
two years. Introduced for three years, the exemption had ended in December
2024.
She announced that the State government would increase the coverage of
‘Orunodoi’, a poverty alleviation programme, from 24 lakh beneficiaries to
37.2 lakh beneficiaries during the 2025-26 fiscal. Under this programme,
women are provided with monthly assistance of ₹1,250.
The Budget proposed an exemption on ‘professional tax’ for individuals
earning up to ₹15,000 per month under the Assam Profession, Trades,
Callings, and Employments Taxation Act, 1947. “This will benefit more than
1.43 lakh taxpayers/families and boost their purchasing capacity,” the
Minister said.
Support for Job Search
Ms. Neog announced the ‘Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana’ financial
assistance programme for graduates, to provide them with stability and
encouragement as they transitioned from education to employment. Under this
scheme, each graduate would be given ₹2,500 per month for a year as
sustenance during the job search period after graduating.
“This initiative is not an unemployment allowance, but a motivational
support to help them prepare for competitive exams, interviews, and
entrepreneurial pursuits. This dedicated initiative is meant for the
beloved bhagins (nephews and nieces) of our Mukhya Mantri (Chief
Minister),” she said.
Youth in Assam address Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as mama (maternal
uncle).
Ms. Neog further said that the government would provide lentils, sugar and
salt at subsidised rates to ration card holders, in addition to subsidised
rice from October this year. The Budget proposed government support of ₹250
per quintal for paddy and maize, and ₹500 per quintal for mustard, over and
above the minimum support price (MSP).
Under the Mukhya Mantri Utkarsh Yojana, the government announced a grant of
₹10 lakh each to 500 “better-performing” farmer producer organisations. It
also proposed to enhance the honorarium of village chiefs from ₹9,000 to
₹14,000 per month from October 1.
The government also proposed a subsidy of ₹5 per litre of milk “to ease the
financial burden on small-scale dairy farmers”. About 18,000 farmers
registered under dairy cooperative societies are expected to benefit from
this step.
Other “pro-people” proposals included a dedicated facility for easy and
dignified transportation of people who died outside Assam; the government
would bear the full cost of the transportation of mortal remains to the
bereaved family, Ms. Neog said.
Special Grass for Elephants
Ms. Neog said the government would take steps to promote commercial
production of Napier grass, a fast-growing fodder grown experimentally in
Assam as a natural barrier toward reducing elephant crop raids. The grass
also provided economic opportunity for supporting the production of
compressed biogas, she said.
Ms. Neog announced the Gaja Mitra scheme in the five most human-elephant
conflict-prone districts — Goalpara, Udalguri, Nagaon, Baksa, and Sonitpur.
The scheme entails deploying AI-based camera traps for real-time alerts on
elephant movement, and advancing paddy procurement in areas in which
elephants foraged frequently. “Additionally, Gaja Mitra teams would be
formed in these regions to support the effort,” she said.
Ms. Neog further said the government planned to launch Assamsat, a
dedicated satellite to ensure a continuous and reliable flow of data for
the implementation of critical socio-economic projects. To be developed in
collaboration with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation
Centre, the satellite is envisaged providing services for agriculture,
disaster management, infrastructure development, border management, and
police operations.