Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa with State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog during presentation of the interim Budget for the financial year 2026-27.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Presenting a ₹62,294.78 crore interim Budget for the 2026-27 fiscal ahead of the Assembly elections, Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) said major flagship schemes giving direct cash benefits will continue in the years to come.
Tabling her last Budget before the State goes to polls, Ms. Neog said Assam is, at present, the fastest-growing State in India as per the RBI data.
“I seek a vote on account on the demands for grants for the initial months of the financial year 2026-27, amounting to ₹62,29,478.30 lakh to enable the government to carry on with its normal services pending full Budget,” she said.
Ms. Neog said the flagship ‘Nijut Moina‘ scheme has resulted in an 8.2% reduction in dropout among girl students between 2023-24 and 2024-25, and an increase in gross enrollment ratio for girls by 4.2% at the secondary level and 7.5% at the senior secondary level.
“This significant success has already established a clear and powerful mandate for the expansion of Nijut Moina and Nijut Babu schemes in the years to come,” she added.
“Through ‘Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina Asoni’, the government has committed about ₹260 crore towards monthly financial assistance in the range of ₹1,000 to ₹2,500, supporting more than 5.5 lakh girl students,” the Finance Minister said.
“Similarly, under Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Babu Scheme, monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000-₹2,000 will be provided to 47,428 boys from economically weaker families enrolled in the first year of undergraduate and postgraduate courses,” she added.
The Assam Assembly elections for 126 constituencies are likely to take place in March-April this year.
On Assam’s poverty alleviation scheme ‘Orunodoi’, Ms. Neog said the programme is the BJP government’s “promise in action”.
“We expanded its coverage from 19 lakh families during the launch in 2021 to nearly 40 lakh today, including Divyangjan, transgender persons, and other vulnerable groups, making it the largest social assistance programme in the history of Assam,” she added.
Ms. Neog said the government’s resolve to empower ‘Orunodoi’ families will continue with enhanced assistance, and the convergence of it with major welfare programmes such as NFSA, PMAY-Gramin, PMAY-Urban and insurance schemes such as PM Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
“Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan, we have empowered more than 30.63 lakh eligible women by providing ₹10,000 as seed capital per SHG member. Today, I am proud to present that 8.80 lakh Lakhpati Baideo are the engines driving our rural economy,” she added.
In her 33-page Budget speech, Ms. Neog said Assam is poised to become a ₹10 lakh crore economy by 2028, ahead of the State’s own 2030 target for the same.
“At constant prices, the State’s Gross State Domestic Product expanded by 45% between FY 2019-20 and FY 2024-25, significantly outperforming the national growth average of 29%,” she added.
The Finance Minister said Assam’s per capita income has more than doubled in five years to ₹1,85,429 in 2025-26 from ₹86,947 in 2020-21, representing a jump of 113%.
Published – February 17, 2026 05:13 pm IST
