Sonowal hails union budget

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today hailed the union budget terming it as people, farmer, development and welfare oriented that would address the needs of all sections of people in the country.
"The budget submitted today in the Lok Sabha has all the elements to strengthen agriculture, rural development, health, education, employment, MSME and infrastructure sectors," Sonowal said in a statement here today.
Raising of institutional farm credit to Rs 11 lakh crore and enhancing the minimum support price of all unannounced kharif crops to one and a half times of their production cost would bolster agriculture production and the condition of farmers.

As a tool to protect the interests of 86 per cent small and marginal farmers, the decision to develop and upgrade 22,000 rural haats to gramin agricultural markets will definitely elevate the socio-economic conditions of the farmers, he added.
The announcement of two new funds of Rs 10,000 crore for fisheries and animal husbandry and Rs 1290 crore restructured National Bamboo Mission will bring in paradigm shift in these sectors, Sonowal added.
The phenomenal leap of loans to self help groups from Rs 42,500 crore to Rs 75,000 crore will also help towards women empowerment.
The Rs 1.38 lakh crore outlay on health, education and social protection , setting up of Ekalavya residential school in each tribal block by 2022 and welfare fund for SCs were other notable announcement of the budget, Sonowal said.

The Health Protection Scheme for more that 10 crore poor and vulnerable families would also help the government to continue its welfare efforts for all sections of the people of the country, the chief minister added.