Assam govt presents ₹2.63 lakh crore budget with sops ahead of 2026 polls

GUWAHATI:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s final full-length annual budget ahead of next year’s assembly polls in Assam has expanded the scope of existing beneficiary schemes and promised more government jobs, roads and educational institutions.

Finance minister Ajanta Neog on Monday presented a ₹620.27 cr deficit budget for 2025-26 financial year in the state assembly and said that no new taxes would be there in the budget, the same as in the previous four years.

Neog, who was presenting her fifth budget, mentioned that the total budget for the coming financial year would be ₹2.63 lakh crore.

“Budget estimates for 2025-26 show receipt of ₹155,428.75 cr under consolidated fund of the state. With receipt of ₹105,485.17 cr under public account and ₹2,000 cr from contingency fund, the aggregate receipts amount to ₹262,913.92 cr,” Neog said.

The minister mentioned that total expenditure including ₹2,000 cr from contingency fund for 2025-26 is estimated at ₹260,959.24 cr. “There would be a budget surplus of ₹1,954.68 cr during the financial year. If we consider the deficit of ₹2,574.95 cr at the start of the financial year, the budget deficit at the end of 2025-26 is estimated at ₹620.27 cr,” Neog stated.

The minister said that revenue collection in the state increased by 64.2% from 2020-21 till February this year from ₹20,033 cr to ₹33,886 cr, of which ₹21,578 cr was from commercial taxes. “Unlike in the past, we can now pay salaries and pensions to our employees without any hassles because of the increase in revenue collection,” she said.

Neog said that total budget outlay for 2024-25 was ₹143,891 cr, which was later revised to ₹168,683 cr. She said that till March 6 this year, the total spending of the revised budget was ₹141,539 cr, which was 85% of the outlay. Spending on working capital for 2024-25 was ₹24,964 cr, she said.

Speaking on new schemes and expansion of scope of old ones, the minister said that the government’s flagship Orunodoi scheme, which provides ₹1,250 to economically weaker families will be extended to 3.72 million families from the existing 2.4 million. An outlay of ₹5,000 cr has been kept in the budget for that, she said.

The minister announced a new scheme called Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMMUU) to promote entrepreneurship among women. Under this, 3 million women self-help groups (SHGs) in rural areas and 200,000 in urban areas would be provided with ₹10,000 each as seed money and ₹25,000 as bank loan. ₹3,038 cr has been earmarked for the scheme.

Another scheme, Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina Asoni (MMNMA), which provides monetary benefits to girl students every month, to put an end to child marriages and encourage them to continue studies will be expanded to cover 4.3 lakh students from the present 1.8 lakh and would cost ₹391 cr.

A new scheme called Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana will provide ₹2,500 per month for one year (or one-time assistance of ₹25,000) to students who graduate from government universities and colleges this year. Research scholars in government universities will be given ₹25,000 each and specially challenged research scholars would get ₹50,000 each, Neog said.

To empower micro-entrepreneurs, the government has decided to provide ₹1 lakh more to 25,000 beneficiaries who got the same amount earlier. The scheme will now include 75,000 more beneficiaries, the minister announced. The scheme will provide ₹5 lakhs to youths with professional degrees.

Neog said that 40,000 new government jobs would be created in the coming financial year. Apart from rice and wheat, ration card holders covered under the National Food Security Act would be provided with lentils, salt and sugar at subsidised rates.

One-time assistance of ₹5,000 to 6.8 lakh tea-garden workers, ₹25,000 each to 1,000 young writers, ₹3 lakh each to around 25,000 prayer halls and temples and construction of 25 km of new roads in all districts of the state were the other announcements made by the minister in the budget.

Neog announced a reduction of ₹1 per unit for domestic electricity consumers consuming up to 120 units per month. This, she said, would benefit 4.8 million of the total 6.8 million consumers and cost the state exchequer ₹300 crores.