BODOLAND TERRITORIAL COUNCIL GETS SPECIAL ATTENTION IN THIS YEARS ASSAM BUDGET

The Assam government on Monday increased the allocations to the Bodoland Territorial Council to meet their special developmental needs. While presenting the budget for the financial year 2018-19, Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that to facilitate the developmental activities in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area, the state government had announced a one-time special grant of Rs. 1000 crore for the region, of which Rs. 300 crore is going to be released in before 31st March, 2018. In continuation with the allotment in the previous year, the government has allocated an additional sum of Rs. 300 crore as in 2018-19 to the BTC over and above the normative allocation. In addition to the higher normative allocation and special allocation of Rs 300 crore, the state government further allocated a sum of Rs. 177.52 crore as per the recommendations of the Assam State Finance Commission to the Bodoland Territorial Council. The Finance Minister in his speech said that he is confident that this will go a long way in overcoming the development deficits of the region and help bridge infrastructural gaps that the Bodoland areas suffer. “I hope that the increased allocations and this special one-time assistance will be spent in a prudent, transparent manner with fullest accountability and go a long way in catering to their varied needs and boost the socio-economic condition of the entire BTC area”, said Dr Sarma.