Nagaland Assembly passes state budget

The Nagaland Assembly today passed the state's Rs 18,315.76-crore budget for fiscal 2018-19.

The Nagaland Appropriation Bill (No. 2), 2018 budget was passed by voice vote following discussions on cut motions raised by the Opposition NPF MLAs.

The budget was presented by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on March 23 last with a fiscal deficit of Rs 1,630.67 crore.

This is the first budget of the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-led People's Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (PDA).

The Assembly also passed two other bills -- the Nagaland Road Safety Authority Act, 2013 (First Amendment) Bill, 2018 which was presented by Minister for Transport P Paiwang Konyak on the third day of the House, and the Nagaland Appropriation Bill (No.1) 2018 presented by Rio.

The first appropriation bill passed a supplementary demand for the year 2017-18 authorising payment of Rs 2,074.48 crore out of the consolidated fund of the state to the services of the fiscal ending 31st of this month with regard to various government departments.

Subsequently, Speaker Vikho-o Yhosh adjourned the Assembly sine die.