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Allocation for NE hiked by Rs 12,282 crore

By Kalyan Barooah

NEW DELHI, July 5 - The NDA government has hiked the allocation for the Northeast region by Rs 12,282 crore across 55 Central ministries.

The budgetary estimate for the Northeast region this fiscal (2019-2020) has been fixed at Rs 59,369.90 crore, while revised estimate for (2018-2019) was Rs 47,087.95 crore marking an increase of 21 per cent.

The Budget speech delivered by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented the Union Budget on Friday, though did not make any mention about the Northeast region.

But the Expenditure Profile revealed that allocation of a few vital ministries, like Road Transport and Highway, has been marginally decreased to Rs 6,070 crore from Rs 6,210 crore allocated last fiscal.

The allocation for the Ministry of Water Resources and River Development has been increased to Rs 440.65 crore from Rs 318.82 crore, while the allocation for the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmer�s Welfare has been almost doubled to Rs 12,986.06 crore from Rs 6,726.34 crore

The allocation for the Ministry of Power has been marginally decreased to Rs 2,346.92 crore from Rs 2,891 crore, while the allocation for Civil Aviation was fixed at Rs 69.99 crore, a sharp fall from Rs 197.29 crore allocated last year.

The Budget Estimates for Ministry of Development of North Easter Region (DoNER) for 2019-20 is Rs 3,000 crore as compared to the Revised Estimate of Rs 2629 crore in 2018-19.

The total allocation for schemes of the North Eastern Council (NEC) has been decreased to Rs 885.18 crore from Rs 1,010 crore allocated last fiscal.

The allocation for special development

packages for Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and Dima Hasao Territorial Council has been increased to Rs 80 crore from Rs 65 crore sanctioned last financial year.

The BAC has been allocated Rs 20 crore, marking a hike of Rs 15 crore, while that for Karbi Anglong Territorial Council is Rs 40 crore, which is same as the amount allocated last fiscal. The Dima Hasao Territorial Council has been allocated Rs 20 crore.

The allocation for North East Regional Marketing Corporation Limited is Rs 4.10 crore and that for the North East Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation Development Limited has been fixed at Rs 2.78 crore.

The allocation for Flood Management and Border Area Development has been allocated Rs 700 crore, while the allocation for last financial year was Rs 719 crore.

Meanwhile, the Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL), which owns the two sick paper mills in Nagaon and Cachar, has been allocated only Rs 0.01 crore. The company was given budgetary support of Rs 90 crore last fiscal.

The two paper mills are facing liquidation and the case is now before the National Company Law Tribunal.

Interestingly, in the interim budget presented by the then Finance Minister on February 1, the Modi government had also proposed a steep hike in allocation to the region aggregating Rs 43,244 crore as against Rs 32,180 crore sanctioned last fiscal (2016-2017).

According to expenditure budget, in the last financial year a sum of Rs 25,691.42 crore was earmarked for the northeastern region, which was later revised to Rs 32,180.08 crore. This fiscal Rs 43,244.84 crore has been earmarked.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Food Processing, Rameswar Teli describing the Budget as a pro-poor and pro-farmer, expressed his satisfaction at the allocation for the Northeast. The overall allocation for the Northeast region has been increased manifold, he said.

Meanwhile, Biswajeet Daimary clarified that the allocation for the BTC was nominal because the interim budget had proposed several projects and major allocation were made. All these projects are going on and if the BTC requires fresh funding then it can always approach the Centre. The Budget otherwise is pro-poor and now it is up to the northeastern States to procure the maximum possible benefit from it, he observed.

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