HIKE In Social Pension, Promotion of SHGs & Pisciculture in Tripura’s Tax-free Budget

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has congratulated Jishnu Devvarma for presenting a “pro-people & pro-growth” for the border state Budget for the financial year 2019-20. Deb hoped that the Tripura Budget 2019 will boost the BJP-led Tripura government’s efforts towards achieving their vision of ‘Transforming Tripura into a Model State’. Devvarma after presenting the budget claimed that their government has succeeded in gaining a revenue growth of 14.5 per cent in the last one year due to better tax management and administrative policies, reports Indian Express. The Tripura government aims for a tax revenue collection of Rs 2,048.95 crore this financial year, deputy CM Devvarma said.The estimate accounts for a non-tax revenue collection of Rs 285.21 crore and Rs 12,764.30 crore fund receipt from the state, including a share of central taxes and deficit grants, Devvarma further said adding that this is slightly higher than the non-tax revenue provisions of Rs 12,506.18 crore in the revised estimates of the current financial year.The budget also aims to bootstrap the gross borrowing of nearly Rs 2,430 crore.CM Deb hoped that the Tripura Budget 2019 will boost the BJP-led Tripura government’s efforts towards achieving their vision of ‘Transforming Tripura into a Model State’. Despite financial constraint, The Tripura Government has proposed to hike social pensions, free smart phones for graduates, subsidised sugar and formation of more self-help Groups for creating job opportunities. Presenting the Budget in the state legislative assembly  , Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said the social pensions will be increased from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000 per month in the first phase for certain categories of beneficiaries. The Minister said sugar at subsidised rates will be supplied to households under all categories in the next financial year commencing from April 1. Free smart phones will also be provided to students completing their graduation. Dev Varma said under the Mini Dairy scheme of NABARD, 10,000 cows (2 cows per family) to women members of 5,000 families will be provided to give a boost to milk production in the State, for which the Tripura Government shall provide 100 per cent interest subvention. A total of 1,867 check dams will be constructed  for creating  “enormous” opportunities for pisciculture, drinking water supply and irrigation, he said.Dev Varma said 2,110 self-help groups will be formed and livelihood opportunities will be created for 52,030 families. The Tripura Government presented a tax-free and zero-deficit budget of Rs 17,530.46 crore for the fiscal 2019-20.The Minister later told reporters that the state government could achieve 14.5 per cent revenue growth compared to last year, due to better tax management and administrative disciplines. Dev Varma, who is also the Finance Minister of the State, said the collection of own tax revenue is projected at Rs 2,048.95 crore, while non-tax revenue is estimated at Rs 285.21 crore in 2019-20. Total receipts from the Centre are projected at Rs 12,764.30 crore in the budget estimate, and the total expenditure at Rs 17,530.46 crore, including revenue expenditure and capital expenditure. As most of the residents of Tripura, NÉ states and neighbouring Bangladesh are fish eaters, development of pisciculture will benefit them, he added.