Guwahati, Feb 2: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state would be a contributor to the Prime Minister’s Vision of “Amrit Kaal” and no longer be dependent on Delhi for funds and development.
“This Budget, we have drawn inspiration from the PM’s vision of “Amrit Kaal”. Obviously, India will not have Amrit Kaal without the states performing. So, for the first time, we have said that the state will no longer be a dependent state. This Budget has conveyed the message that Assam will contribute in whatever it can towards the growth of the nation,” the chief minister told reporters after the presentation of the State Budget.
“When India will become a five trillion economy, Assam has to be a contributory state in whatever way it can. Time has elapsed when we only ask money from Delhi without giving back to Delhi,” Sarma said.
He further said that “Green is one of our dearest concepts which we have espoused in our Budget very strongly. The Prime Minister is giving a lot of focus on solar rooftops, so this Budget has made solar rooftops compulsory for Assam real estate projects from now onwards. Without solar rooftops, you cannot have any real estate projects in Assam.”
“All new buildings (private and public) to be constructed in the state shall mandatorily install roof-top solar facilities. Our government shall come up with a new legislation to this effect during the current year,”, state finance minister Ajanta Neog had said in her Budget speech earlier in the day.
“Further, we have also talked about replacing Guwahati’s public transport with electric buses,” the chief minister said.
Notably, 100 CNG buses and 200 electric buses have been rolled out in Guwahati city under Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).
“In the financial year 2024-25, we will introduce another 100 electric vehicles in Guwahati so that public transportation in the city is made 100 percent green and fossil-fuel free,” the finance minister had said in her Budget speech.