Guwahati, Mar 10: Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog presented the state budget for 2025, introducing significant measures aimed at benefiting government employees, farmers, and tea garden workers. The budget focuses on pension reforms, financial assistance, insurance coverage, and support for the agricultural sector.
One of the major reforms includes the extension of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) benefits under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) for eligible government employees, impacting approximately 2.8 lakh workers.
Starting from October, every ration card holder will receive 1 kg of lentils, 1 kg of sugar, and 1 kg of salt as part of state assistance, with ₹370 crore allocated for the program’s facilitation through fair price shops.
To support Assam’s tea garden workers, both casual and permanent, the government will provide a one-time financial assistance of ₹5,000 to 6.8 lakh workers. A total of ₹342 crore has been earmarked for this initiative.
Additionally, a new zero-cost accident and death insurance scheme will cover all contractual employees and public sector workers receiving salaries through commercial banks.
In a bid to promote education, the budget includes ₹25,000 financial assistance for a young writer contributing to creative science and education. Government employees will also receive ₹1,000 to purchase books, and citizens are encouraged to gift books on special occasions.
For farmers, the government has proposed direct financial aid to support key crops, including ₹250 per quintal for paddy and maize, and ₹500 per quintal for mustard.
A landmark decision in the budget sees the allocation of ₹200 crore for the construction of a new Assembly building and MLA hostel in Dibrugarh, officially recognizing it as Assam’s second capital.
These measures are part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen Assam’s socio-economic structure and provide crucial support to employees, farmers, and tea garden workers.
