Budget Session 2025-26 begins
KOKRAJHAR, APRIL 23: A two-day Budget Session of the Bodoland Territorial Council Legislative Assembly (BTCLA) for the fiscal year 2025–26 commenced from Wednesday, being held at the BTC Legislative Assembly House, Bodofa Nwgwr in Kokrajhar.
Katiram Boro,the speaker of the BTC Legislative Assembly, chaired the session that started with question hour.
During the session, Pramod Boro, the chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and Finance in-charge, presented an estimated budget of Rs. 843 crore to the Bodoland Territorial Region.The budget has been included a special allocation under the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) scheme to facilitate development and welfare aspects of the common masses across the region.
Stating the Budget of the BTR as vision of a “Vibrant BTR Mission,” CEM Boro emphasized that the budget is rooted in rigorous planning aimed at strengthening the Bodoland Model of Peace through sustainable development, good governance, and social harmony.
Of the 40 departments, the Budget has highlighted, the Transformation and Development department has the highest allocation of funds amounting to Rs. 126.27 crores followed by Education with an amount of Rs. 105.05 crores and Health amounting to Rs. 47.74 crores while the department of Lottery allocated the least with an amount of Rs. 1 lakh followed by Excise-15 lakhs and Legal Metrology-35 lakhs respectively.
In his budget speech, Boro also made announcements for establishment of Bodoland Community Welfare Department to promote language, culture, and literature, Bodoland Community Museum in Chirang, and Bodoland International School of Peace and Happiness in Tamulpur.
CEM Boro stated that the normal budget of Bodoland Territorial Council for the financial year 2025-26 was presented to the August House of BTCLA highlighting that the present government had been working diligently towards achieving a financial best practice in the council which is grounded on transparency and accountability as per norms stipulated by the Principal Accountant General of Assam. The normal budget has been prepared by incorporating the SOPD grants amount against the provision made in the State Budget for BTC as grants along with the BTC’s own source of estimated Revenue Receipts and Expenditures, he said adding that the budget estimates amount for the entrusted departments were provided according to the sectoral allocation issued by the Transformation and Development (T&D) Department.
He said that the the budget is a people’s oriented budget for the Bodoland Territorial Region as emphasized towards the massive ushering of development and welfare of the people.
He said that the budget has been stressed to strengthen work culture and technology driven initiative for good governance across the region, and accordingly launched various humanity welfare services since it’s inception to the reign.
He said that the council government has special focussed on the development of child and women, especially needy last people of the society.He mentioned that the the council government launched the community vision document involving the 26 communities who are residing in Bodoland region that highlighted it’s uplift, development and welfare of language,culture and several aspects.He stated that the vision document is a document of the communities to make it a wellbeing of the communities.
” The BTC Budget is highlighted the vision for inclusive growth, better infrastructure, and financial transparency”, CEM Boro reaffirmed the council’s commitment to a progressive Bodoland.
BTR executive member, Ranjit Basumatary stated that the budget of the council is a people’s hope budget, being presented by the CEM of Bodoland Territorial Region, Pramod Boro that focused on the human resource development across the communities.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Derhasat Basumatary have a strong criticism of the proposed BTC Budget, stating it fails to adequately address the welfare needs of the people in the region. Basumatary said they were not satisfied with the budget presented by the CEM Pramod Boro. He said the BTC should have to receive 12.19 pc of the state’s budget with annual enhancement from the state every year but instead of enhancing the fund it is going down.
