Rs 2,349.79 crore deficit budget presented in Assam Assembly

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today presented a Rs 2,349.79 crore deficit Budget for the state for 2017-18 financial year and merged the Plan and non-Plan heads.
Considering the Budgetary estimates of the next fiscal only, the year will result in a projected deficit of Rs 367.19 crore, Sarma said in Assembly while presenting the Budget.
"This, together with the opening deficit of Rs 1,982.60 crore, will lead to a budget deficit of Rs 2,349.79 crore at the end of the financial year 2017-18," he added.
The Budget estimates of 2017-18 show a receipt of Rs 84,732.16 crore under consolidated fund of the state, of which Rs 70,719.61 crore is on Revenue account and the remaining Rs 14,012.55 crore is under Capital account.

"After adding the receipt of Rs 1,62,580.51 crore under Public account and Rs 100 crore under Contingency fund, the aggregate receipts amount to Rs 2,47,412.67 crore," Sarma said in his Budget speech.
Against the income, the total expenditure from the consolidated fund of the state in next fiscal is estimated at Rs 85,922.69 crore, of which Rs 68,319.45 crore is on Revenue account and Rs 17,603.24 crore is on Capital account.

"Taking into account the expenditure of Rs 1,61,757.17 crore under Public account and Rs 100 crore under Contingency fund, the aggregate expenditure for the year is estimated at Rs 2,47,779.86 crore," the Finance Minister said.

On restructuring the Budget, he said in the House that the Plan and non-Plan heads have been merged and the estimates have been made through Capital and Revenue heads.
"All employees who were earlier drawing salaries from Plan head will join those who were earlier drawing their salaries from non-Plan and now all salaries are bucketed under the head Establishment Expenditure.
"Thus the systemic discrimination in the budgeting of salaries of some categories of employees like Muster Roll and Work Charged employees has been drawn to a close with this budget and I am happy to announce that everyone will now receive their salaries and wages regularly," Sarma said.