Major allocation for tea sector
KALYAN BAROOAH
NEW DELHI, Feb 1: With the elections round the corner, the NDA government at the Centre has been extra generous to the states going to polls, including Assam.
Presenting the Union Budget 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithamaram on Monday announced that the national highway works of around Rs 19,000 crore are currently in progress in Assam.
Further, works of more than Rs 34,000 crore covering more than 1,300 km of national highways will be undertaken in the State in the coming three years, she said.
The Finance Minister also proposed to provide Rs 1,000 crore for the welfare of tea workers, especially women and their children in Assam and West Bengal. A special scheme will be devised for the same, she added.
The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) has been allocated Rs 11 crore, while in the last fiscal it was allocated Rs 10 crore. The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council has been allocated Rs 37.75 crore, which is a hike from Rs 18 crore given last fiscal. The Dima Hasao Council has been earmarked Rs 70.75 crore, marking an increase from Rs 34 crore allocated last financial year.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region has been allocated Rs 2,658 crore, up from Rs 1,860 crore allocated last fiscal. The allocation for the Central Pool of Resources has also been liberally hiked to Rs 1,255.95 crore from Rs 787.56. The allocation for the North Eastern Council (NEC) has been marginally increased to Rs 584.55 crore from Rs 578.10 crore.
The Centre has also shown its commitment to complete the 2,000-MW Subansiri hydroelectric project by granting Rs 145 crore, up from last fiscal’s allocation of Rs 105 crore towards cost of downstream protection work of the project. However, the budgetary support to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) has been decreased to Rs 810.02 crore, down from Rs 965 crore allocated last fiscal.
