Northeast gets highest ever budget allocation of ₹ 50,169.39 crore

July 6: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal hailed the union budget will benefit Assam and other Northeastern states. In the Union Budget 2019-20 presented by union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the budgetary allocation for DoNER ministry has been increased to ₹ 3,000 crore from ₹ 2,629 crore of 2018-19.

Further, the allocation for eight states of Northeast India was increased to ₹ 50,169.39 crore in the Union Budget 2019-20. This is the highest ever allocation of funds for this region. Chief Minister Sonowal said that the budget 2019-20 with its exclusive ‘Gaon-Garib’ focus will be a great fillip to expedite the progress of the poor and middle class of the country.

However, allocation in the schemes of North Eastern Council (NEC) has been decreased from Rs 607 crore of 2018-1-19 to Rs 580 crore in 2019-20.Union finance minister Sitharaman has also slashed allocation for Central Pool of Resources for Northeastern states including Sikkim from Rs 781 crore of 2018-19 to Rs 531 crore in 2019-20.