Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the first full-fledged annual Budget of the new state government, expected to be presented in July, will lay out the administration’s development plans and policy priorities for the next five years.Speaking to reporters after offering prayers at Batadrava Than in Nagaon district, the Chief Minister said the Budget session of the Assam Assembly is likely to begin on July 5 or 6.Sarma said the annual Budget could not be presented earlier in February or March because the state was preparing for the Assembly elections.“The upcoming Budget will reflect our government’s plans and priorities for the next five years,” the Chief Minister said.He stated that the government has already started consultations with various departments to prepare the Budget and include both pending development projects and suggestions received from people during the election campaign.
“There are projects we had planned earlier but could not implement. At the same time, we received valuable suggestions from the public during our campaign. These will also be reflected in the Budget,” he said.The Chief Minister further said that the government remains committed to implementing the promises made in the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party.According to Sarma, the party’s 2021 election manifesto had certain limitations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the new government now plans to focus on wider developmental initiatives across different sectors.Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister visited Batadrava Than, the birthplace of medieval saint-scholar Srimanta Sankardeva. The visit marked Sarma’s first official programme outside Guwahati after taking oath for a second consecutive term as Chief Minister.Later in the evening, after returning to Guwahati, Sarma chaired separate review meetings with officials of the Finance Department and the Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Department.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, discussions during the finance review meeting focused on improving Assam’s economic strength, reviewing fiscal indicators and increasing the state’s economic resilience.During the separate departmental review, the Chief Minister directed officials to speed up Aadhaar seeding and e-KYC verification of beneficiaries. He also asked the department to accelerate the distribution of essential commodities, including pulses, sugar and salt, and strengthen paddy procurement across the state.Sarma reiterated the government’s commitment to building a transparent and technology-driven food security system for the people of Assam.