Key takeaways from Assam Finance Minister budget speech

Guwahati: The Assam Budget 2023-24 was presented in the Assam Assembly on Thursday by Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog.

This is the second budget of Minister Neog.
The budget proposes to set up infrastructure to make Assam a healthcare hub in the Northeast by 2026.
It has also introduced “Ashtadash Mukutar Unnoyonee Maala Scheme” to generate self-employment in the private sector.

Under the scheme, two lakh unemployed youth from BPL families and low-income households are expected to benefit from one-time seed capital of Rs 2 lakh in installments to start micro-enterprise units over the next three years.
Apart from the above, Rs 1000 crore has been allocated for this budget and the recruitment of 40,000 candidates will be completed by 10 May 2023.
Additionally, a legislation is to be enacted this year to ensure the movement of government officials from one department to another to ensure maximum utilization of available manpower.

Highlights of the Assam Budget 2023-24 are:
-By 2026, Assam will emerge as a healthcare hub in Northeast India, and infrastructure is being set up accordingly.

Students securing first position in class IX will be provided with tablets which will be linked to central agency providing educational material and guidance.

– Government of Assam will provide free cycle to all students studying in Class IX in Government and Provincialized Secondary Schools.
Providing free textbooks and textbook support to students till graduation

– 22000 per month maximum waiver of hostel mess dues for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in degree and polytechnic colleges

Scooty to all the meritorious boys and girls who secured First Division in Higher Secondary Examination

– A mobility grant of £10,000 per year for postgraduate students – excluding medical students
– Admission fee waiver for all BPL students

– Scholarship to students belonging to SC, ST, Minority and tea-garden communities

– Abhinandan Scheme – Government of Assam will continue to provide interest subsidy on education loans to students.
-Upgrade of Sibsagar College, Kokrajhar Government College, Bongaigaon College, Jagannath Barooah College of Jorhat, North Lakhimpur College, Handique Girls College, Nagaon College and Gurucharan College of Silchar to universities by introducing enabling legislation of Assam Govt. Will do.

To pay homage to the great freedom fighter of Assam and to further improve the quality of higher education in the North Bank, a new university named Shahid Kanaklata Barua State University will be established at Gohpur.
A satellite campus of Bodoland University will be established in Udalguri.

-Over and above the allocation for infrastructure construction, there will be a total provision of about ₹21,200 crore under respective heads for Pragyan Bharati schemes,

-Initiation of Assam Urban Health Mission (AUHM) with the objective of providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to the urban population.