Guwahati: The budget for 2018-19 has brought a big relief for debt-ridden farmers of Assam with the state government deciding to repay 25 per cent of their outstanding bank loans, subjected to a maximum limit of Rs 25,000 per loan.
Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in his budget speech on Monday, said this one-time measure will unclog the much-needed credit supply to distressed farmers.
"I have allocated a sum of Rs 500 crore for this scheme, the details of which will be worked out in due course of time," he said.
Around nine lakh farmers, who had availed of bank loans, will be benefited by this scheme.
"This is going to cost the exchequer a huge sum but keeping in mind the larger interest of the farmers, we have decided to announce this measure," Sarma, who presented a Rs 2149.04-crore deficit budget, said.
"Our farmers have not been able to take full benefit of the subsidised, short term crop loans through KCCs because most of these accounts have outstanding dues because of which credit flow from the banks has been clogged. To activate these inactive accounts, I had introduced a one-time cash incentive of Rs 3,000 for every farmer having inactive KCC, if they renew their cards," he said.
An annual stipend of Rs 600 was announced for girls between 12 and 20 years, whose family income is below Rs 5 lakh, to buy sanitary napkins. "We propose to cover five lakh girls during 2018-19. I have earmarked Rs 30 crore for the scheme in the budget and the registration will be done through block development offices," Sarma said.
"Our government has decided that unmarried daughters of pensioners, who do not have any other source of income, will also be eligible to avail of the pension in the event of a pensioner's death," he said.
In the budget, Rs 16 crore was allocated under Sanjeevani village health outreach program, Rs 5 crore for providing self-employment grants to educated youths under Atal Atma Sansthapon Yojana, Rs 91 crore for NRC works and Rs 200 crore for Axom Mala, a scheme for reconstruction and maintenance of roads and conversion of 1,000 timber bridges into RCC.
Other major budget announcements were paved block roads in tea garden labour lines, financial aid for retired staff of Assam Tea Corporation, Rs 5,000 for medical treatment of differently abled people, new scholarship scheme for girls from minority communities, creation of a city infrastructure development fund, cancer control programme with Tata Trusts, a medical college in Karimganj, 10 new law colleges and 11 BEd colleges in the state.
Ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the martyrs of Bodoland Agitation and old age pension for all senior citizens, except government pensioners and those covered under the PRANAM Act, were announced in the budget.
