Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Jul 25: The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed the annual Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 following a marathon discussion before the Speaker Tesam Pongte adjourned the house sine-die.
The Budget Estimates (BE) for FY 2024-25 has been estimated at Rs 35,840.79 crore, which is 20.85 per cent more than the BE 2023-24.
“Before the BJP government came to state’s power, the Budget size in the year 2015-16 was around Rs 12,500 crore which has mounted to over Rs 35,800 crore in 2024-25,” said Chief Minister Pema Khandu while participating in the Budget discussion.
Acknowledging the members’ observations and feedback on this year’s budget, the CM said: “This year’s budget is designed to strengthen our economy, encourage entrepreneurship, and invest in our most valuable asset—our youth. Our strategy revolves around three core pillars: Healthy Human Resources, Robust Infrastructure, and a Vibrant Economy.
We are dedicated to enhancing capital expenditure to support investments in infrastructure, development projects, and long-term assets that will drive sustainable growth and productivity.”
“We have already laid the foundation of ‘Viksit Arunachal’ in lines with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, and I hope we will be able achieve the target of ‘Viksit Arunachal’ during the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.
Khandu said that the government has adopted the ‘bottom up’ approach in the planning process, thereby empowering the districts. Since youths are the future of the state, he said, the government has declared the year 2024-25 as the ‘Year of Youth’.
“In line with our declaration of current fiscal as the 'Year of Youth,' our focus is on empowering young people through opportunities for self-reliance, skill development, and entrepreneurship. We aim to cultivate a generation of innovators and job creators, rather than mere job seekers.”
He informed that the government would entirely sponsor any APST student whoever bags a seat in the IIT (Indian Institute of Technology). He further informed that even at international level, if any APST student gets admission in any university that is within the 150 QS World University ranking, the state would sponsor 75% of the total expenses and even the student was unable to bear the remaining 25%, government would gladly sponsor the remaining 25% as well.
This year, under PMGSY-III, 645.52 km of road has been sanctioned with an investment of Rs 665 crore. Also, under the Vibrant Villages Programme, 105 kms of road have been sanctioned covering around 122 villages, the tendering process of which is under process.
Moreover, within the interstate highway project, 2878 kms of new highway will be constructed and the tendering process has been initiated for the same, the CM added.
Since, the state exchequer spends a lot in paying a huge amount of funds to the service holders (regular, contractual, contingency workers), pensioners and for developmental activities, income generation is the need of the hour for the government.
Before winding up the discussion, Khandu emphatically said that monitoring needs to be stepped up and said to ensure quality work for bigger infrastructure projects, the government would soon start third party monitoring by joining forces with an independent agency.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Finance Chowna Mein said that Healthy Human Resource, Robust Infrastructure and Vibrant Economy were the 3 pillars of the Budget Estimate 2024-25. The whole budget has been framed around these 3 pillars, he said.
He said the government aims to nurturing the youths for the bright future of the state and set the target of strengthening governance, ease of living and business, administrative reforms, connectivity, social security, etc.
Mein, who is also the Minister in-charge of Power, stated that the State Government is committed to build the big dams in the state including the 11,000 MW Siang dam. “Hydro security is our prime duty,” he said.
He further added that hydropower projects would generate employment, boost tourism and generate revenue for the state.
Before the adjournment of the Assembly, the House witnessed voting on Demands for Grants for the FY 2024-25, and introduction as well as passing of the Arunachal Pradesh Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2024 without any discussion.