Guwahati: Assam budget session postponed for at least two days. However, the reason behind the change of dates was yet to be known.

An official order said, “In reference to this Secretariat’s earlier Notification No.LAQ.79/2023/01, dated 30th January 2023, the Hon’ble Governor of Assam has revised the date of the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly to meet on Friday, the 10th March 2023 instead of 08th March 2023 at the Assembly Chamber in Dispur.”

On Thursday, the state’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state’s budget would see an array of fresh developmental policies in the coming days. Sarma hailing the union budget for allotting more money to the state said that the additional fund would be used for encompassing more and more people in the state under welfare schemes.

He said that Assam will get an additional Rs 6400 crore of untied funds from the budget than the previous year. He said that the rise in fund allocation for the northeastern states and Assam would directly benefit the people of the state and the growth of the region.

Sarma said, “In the case of Assam, we will benefit greatly from the increase in the budget allocation. From some Rs 25,000 crore annually, this budget has allocated Rs 31, 950 Crore for Assam which is a hike of Rs 6,400 Crore. That means that now the state government will get around Rs 550 Crore more from the Centre monthly.”

Currently, the state government receives around Rs 18,000 Crore monthly from the Centre as untied funds which the state government can utilize at its own will, he added.

Though the Budget session will start on March 10, the state’s finance minister Ajanta Neog is likely to present the annual State budget for 2023-24 on March 16, 2023. Sources said that the duration of the budget session and the conduct of the business of the House will be decided by the business advisory committee of the Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA).