Guwahati, July 10 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday described the 2026-27 state Budget as a roadmap for building a “Surakshit, Samriddh and Viksit Assam”, asserting that the NDA government’s 11th Budget focuses on welfare, employment, infrastructure and fiscal discipline without placing any additional burden on citizens.
Speaking to reporters after Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah presented the Budget in the Assembly, Chief Minister Sarma said the Budget reflects the confidence reposed by the people of Assam in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government and is backed by careful planning and realistic implementation.
“Today, the NDA government in Assam presented its 11th Budget under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This Budget will give fresh momentum to Assam’s reform journey and is our commitment to building a “Surakshit, Samriddh and Viksit Assam”,” the Chief Minister added.
He said the Budget is largely revenue-neutral and has been prepared while maintaining fiscal discipline.
He said the state government has focused on strengthening welfare while simultaneously making substantial investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, green energy, industries and employment generation.
Highlighting the state government’s performance over the past decade, Chief Minister Sarma added that Assam’s Budget size, per capita income and own tax revenue have increased by around 300 per cent since 2015-16, while capital expenditure has grown by nearly 900 per cent.
He said that Budget utilisation has also improved significantly from 58 per cent to 85 per cent during the period.
The Chief Minister added that the Budget introduces several first-of-its-kind initiatives, including an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore exclusively for welfare schemes, the creation of a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem under the proposed A-SEMI initiative, a proposal to seek UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for Bihu, and a policy barring people practising polygamy from availing government benefits.
Among other key announcements, Chief Minister Sarma said that Assam would become the first state to take doctors to the sub-centre level, introduce paternity leave for state government employees, establish an Aerotropolis to drive planned urban growth, and undertake major investments in power, connectivity, education and industrial infrastructure.
The Chief Minister added that the Budget contains 18 flagship initiatives and 29 focus areas, including plans to generate two lakh employment opportunities, develop satellite townships, promote Assamese cuisine nationally, strengthen the semiconductor sector and establish proton beam therapy facilities for advanced cancer care.
He congratulated Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah and his team for presenting what he termed a “forward-looking Budget” that balances economic growth with fiscal prudence, adding that the state government would adopt a “whole-of-government” approach to ensure full implementation of all Budget announcements.
–IANS
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