Guwahati, March 16: Assam finance minister Ajanta Neog on Thursday presented the budget for 2023-24 at the state assembly, which aims for economic development of the state.
“Development is when a country experiences a reduction or elimination of Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment. I firmly believe that the Budget being presented today will reflect our government’s commitment to such inclusive and holistic development,” stated Ajanta Neog.
“Assuming power on May 10, 2021, our government has been making sincere efforts to bring Assam on the path of resurgence. In our endeavour, Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has been a profound source of inspiration. Prime Minister believes in the holistic development of our State and the region. He has termed Northeast India as the “New Engine of India’s Growth” and the eight states as ‘Astalakshmi’ of the country. We share the strong vision of the Prime minister and solemnly pledge to take his vision further for the growth and development of Assam,” she said.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to our Union Home minister Amit Shah ji for his relentless efforts in working towards making the Northeast peaceful as well as resolving the inter-State border issues amicably. Further, I would like to thank our Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ji for her continued support in the last 22 months in strengthening the overall economy of our state,” Neog stated.
“I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to the people of Assam for having faith in our government and in our efforts in taking forward Assam on the path of progress. I am hopeful that the people of Assam would continue to shower their love and blessings on us in the future as well,” she said.
The Finance minister further said, “As I rise to present my third budget, I take the privilege to apprise the members of this August House of many important developments that have taken place. I will start with the latest: We take great pride in sharing that we recently celebrated the 400th birth anniversary of our hero – Lachit Barphukan. The celebrations – from our villages to the national capital New Delhi – have been grand and spectacular. The celebrations culminated in an event in New Delhi where the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and Union Finance Minister of India graced the occasion and paid their rich tributes.”
She also mentioned that the Assam government has made a successful attempt of taking Charaideo Maidams to the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is a matter of pride and jubilation that the Charaideo maidams, which was India’s sole nomination this year, have met all technical requirements of the UNESCO Secretariat.
“I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for the nomination of Charaideo maidams to UNESCO World Heritage Site tag. Bihu is the most important festival of Assam, which revolves around the seasons of the year. The songs, music and dance associated with Bihu are indeed rich cultural elements evolved since antiquity. For taking Assam’s pride Bihu to the global landscape and register it in the Guinness World Records, a mega Bihu dance performance by more than 10,000 performers will be held on April 14 at Sarusajai Sports Complex. The Prime Minister has already given consent to witness this magnificent event,” the Finance minister stated.
“With sustained efforts of our government, the financial position of the state has improved considerably. Our Government is confident of scripting new history this year with GSDP touching around Rs 5.50 lakh cr in 2023-24, as against Rs 3.93 lakh cr in 2021-22. The per capita income of the State has also grown commensurately. Credit Deposit ratio, indicating extension of credit to different sectors has also increased from 50.7 per cent in March, 2020 to 57.5 percent as on December, 2022,” she said.
The Finance Minister further said, “Mission Sadbhavana was launched by my Government in Assam Secretariat to dispose of old files submitted before 10th May 2021 where decisions were pending for years. In addition, an era of paperless governance was launched by completion of e-office in Secretariat. The Transport Department has taken up initiatives like contactless services (some in auto-approval mode), empowering automobile dealers to register vehicles and issue Registration Certificates.”
