Guwahati: Former chief minister Tarun Gogoi termed the Assam budget 2018-19 "another sprinkler of promises" saying the BJP-led coalition government in the state failed to implement the ones they made in the past two budgets.
"This government made several impressive promises in the past two years but the condition of people has not improved. People are angry over non-implementation of their schemes. When the MLAs go to the departments, they are told that there are no funds but the finance minister claims there is no dearth of funds. It is easy to make promise after promise but what about their implementation?" Gogoi asked reporters outside the Assembly, soon after finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the state budget on Monday.
Rejecting Gogoi's charge, Sarma said only a few schemes were announced during 15 years of Congress rule between 2001 and 2016. "They remained confined to distribution of free blankets and yarns and failed to implement most of their promises. This year, we have kept our promises by having a chapter clearly stating the status of implementation of the schemes announced in last year's budget."
Sarma termed the budget the best state budget as it had introduced pensions for all senior citizens, a new cancer hospital, offered interest-free loans to farmers and funds to buy sanitary pads for girls, beside others.
Opposition AIUDF legislator Aminul Islam said the budget was devoid of any scientific solution to the state's burning problems like erosion and unemployment. "Except that is it an e-budget, I don't see anything specific to address the erosion problem despite the fact that 4,000 villages have been eroded in the state."
Industry body CII, North East Council, welcomed the emphasis on jobs, inclusive development, and structural reforms and transformation. Co-chairman, CII, and managing director of Premier Cryogenics Ltd Abhijit Barooah said the budget would facilitate timely and quality delivery of services to the people.
Finer president Pabitra Buragohain welcomed the state budget as a "bold one", with several schemes in the social sector. "No previous state budget had so much in terms of social initiatives. But being the first budget after imposition of GST, it remains to be seen whether all the schemes can be implemented with limited revenue collection," he added.
