As expected, this budget will benefit each and every citizen of Assam, courtesy the Arunoday and other schemes.
The objective is obvious. If the result can be achieved with no new taxes and reduction of the price of petroleum products or removal of agricultural income tax for the next three years, then the budget is laudable.
Going by the words of finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, increase in tax revenue collection and also the transport department are positive news.
While the gifts to people are looking like a huge burden to the exchequer, for a total of Rs 1.03 lakh crore, the amount involved in all such schemes is not that big. At the same time, one would have to say that universal provision for things like textbooks may need to be target-oriented as there are so many persons who can afford them.
Tweaking the schemes here and there would have released funds which could have been used for other social benefits for the poor families who live in thatched homes or on railway platforms abandoned by everyone. Every local body could have been given small amounts of funds which they could immediately use for their benefit.
The budget emphasised the widows, people with disabilities, contractual government employees, members of the tea community, senior citizens and unemployed youths.
If these schemes are implemented properly, poverty in Assam could be alleviated to some extent.
In terms of infrastructure, the government promised to set up many educational institutions and expand their existing health schemes.
Connectivity is in the mind of the finance minister. Although the record of completion seems to be decent, a lot more needs to be done.
One hopes that the money earmarked for irrigation is properly utilised as the state needs to ensure growth of Rabi crops which need irrigation.
One aspect which is surprising is the growth of the state domestic income. This is fairly high at more than 12 per cent in the last four years. However, the difference in the per capita income of the state vis-à-vis the all-India average seems to be widening.
The comparison of achievements of all states needs to be put up against the all-India average performance so that people get to know if the performance is credit-worthy or not.
In the light of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act movement, the budget seems to have tackled all burning economic issues one way or the other, leaving no person untouched.
The writer is an economist and executive director, Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi