Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Tax-free deficit budget presented in Tripura Assembly

By The Assam Tribune
Tax-free deficit budget presented in Tripura Assembly
X

Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais addressing the Budget Session of the State Assembly on Friday. – Photo: Correspondent

Correspondent

AGARTALA, March 19: With the ensuing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council elections in mind, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who also holds the Finance portfolio, today presented a tax-free budget of Rs 22724.50 crore for the 2021-22 fiscal in the State Assembly.

The budget projected a deficit of Rs 773.43 crore that is sought to be met by better tax compliance and austerity measures amid the gloomy fiscal scenario of the State. It mainly focuses on tourism, information technology, agriculture and allied fields, health and education. The outlay for these five sectors has been doubled compared to last year’s allocations.

While placing his budget proposals, Dev Varma said that the total receipts are projected at Rs 21,951 crore and the total expenditure is pegged at Rs 22,724 crore, which leaves a deficit of Rs 773 crore.

There is no promise of jobs in the government sector in the budget. However, the Deputy Chief Minister declared some new projects to fast-track the cause of ‘Atmanirbhar Tripura’.

Dev Varma said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Government headed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, took many welfare measures to help the people. “A total of 34,247 migrant workers were brought home from different States. An amount of Rs 12 crore was provided to 40,000 registered construction workers during the pandemic,” he added.

The Deputy Chief Minister further announced that the State Government would establish a National Law University and the issue had already been taken up with the ministry concerned. This will improve the quality of professional legal education, research and training of people involved in the legal profession,” he pointed out.

Terming the budget as growth-oriented, Dev Varma said that the State is planning to take up 30,000 hectares of rubber plantation in the next five years for rapid economic development under the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission.

The Deputy Chief Minister also announced the Mukyamantri Pushpa Uddan Prakalpa with a view to giving a thrust to the floriculture sector by increasing the current returns of Rs 6.20 crore to Rs 100 crore in the next three years.

Earlier, Governor Ramesh Bais gave his customary address to the Tripura Assembly on the first day of the Budget Session.

Next Story