Rs 3912.27 crore tax-free deficit budget presented in Tripura house

Agartala, Mar 17 (UNI) Tripura Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury today presented a Rs 3912.27 crore tax-free deficit budget for 2006-07, amidst noisy scenes in the Tripura Assembly.

The budget showed a deficit of Rs 41.45 crore.

''This deficit is expected to be covered by availing benefits of twelfth Finance Commission award and improvement of financial management,'' he informed the house.

He told the house that the tax collection exceeded 20 per cent during the financial year over the preceding fiscal, following the introduction of Value Added Tax in the state.

The number of registered dealers in Tripura under VAT has reached over 0.13 million, which is almost 90 per cent higher than the number of dealers registered prior to introduction of VAT, Mr Choudhury said.

The allocation of funds in the proposed budget for the coming fiscal has been substantially increased to Rs 330.37 crore for modernisation of security forces and improvement of infrastructure.

The budget was presented in the house amidst unprecedented ruckus, forcing Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath to adjourn the house five times.

Opposition Congress-Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) members demanded acceptance of an adjournment motion to discuss the alleged ''irregularities'' during the recent election to the Tribal Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.

Mr Chowdhury announced that about 3000 unemployed youths would be given jobs in the government sector during the coming financial year and said steps would be taken to accelerate production in the agriculture and allied sectors to achieve self-sufficiency in food, fish and animal originated products.

UNI ASC SP VD KN1943