By TC News Desk
Agartala, July 19, 2023: BJP state leader and Power minister Ratan Lal Nath on Wednesday said that the state government led by Chief Minister Prof Dr Manik Saha for the first time has kept 39.81 percent for the welfare of ST people in Tripura.
While speaking to media persons here at BJP state headquarter on Wednesday afternoon, Nath said “Some political parties are misleading the simple people of the state to blame their failure on this year’s state budget – this is highly condemnable. In fact, they know everything, knowing that they are acting like knowledge sinners. Actually they are completely hypocrites. They are disrupting the development of the state by not having a constructive discussion in the assembly in the interest of the state and the people of the state are being confused.”
Citing the statistics of budget, Nath said “The total budget for the financial year 2023-24 is Rs 27,654.44 crores, Rs 13,568.2 crores will be deducted from salaries and wages, repayment of loans, payment of interest, pensions and other retirement benefits, the remaining Rs 14,086.42 crores, it is for the overall development of the state.”
Out of these remaining budget of Rs 14,086.42 crore, Power minister said “31% of this development money should be spent for the people. And SCs have to spend 17%, according to statement 8 of the ‘Budget At A Glance’, and Rs 5608 crores 72 lakhs 67 thousand have been kept in Tribal sub-plan for the development and welfare of indigenous people. But it has been seen that the money that has been kept for the indigenous people in the budget this year is an all-time record i.e. 39.81% which is about 40%.”
“After our government came in 2018-19, the budget for the people has kept and spent 38.40% which was Rs 6,405 crore 94 lakh for the indigenous people and the original budget was Rs 16,387 crore 20 lakh. In 2019-20, 39.52% which is Rs 7,509 crore 47 lakh for the indigenous people and original budget Rs 17,530 crores 46 lakhs was spent on the people”, Nath told reporters.
He also said “Thus our government keeps more than 31 percent of the budget for the people every year. In Statement 8 of every year’s Budget AT A Glance, there is a mention of how much money has been kept for tribals i.e. Tribal Sub-Plan. And the total budget is also mentioned in statement 8. And after deducting Salaries and wages, repayment of loans, payment of interest, pensions and other retirement benefits from the total budget, what remains is for development. How much money has been kept for salaries and wages, repayment of loans, payment of interest, pensions and other retirement benefits can be found in Statement 2 of Budget AT A Glance.”
