Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 18 (ANI): Union Minister for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, on Tuesday said that the Budget 2025-2026 is a roadmap for a Viksit Bharat.

Addressing the media persons at the PWD Convention Centre, he said, 'The Budget 2025-2026 is a vision document and our dreams, and we will translate it into reality.'

'The current budget is a roadmap for a Viksit Bharat and Viksit States at 2047,' he said, adding that the development of all the states will contribute to Viksit Bharat.

Meghwal said that the budget has four main engines, namely agriculture development, investment, MSME and export and industrial development.

Explaining in detail, the Union Minister said the budget has adequately touched upon the development of the agriculture sector and the people of Assam and the North East Region as a whole will reap the benefits.

Emphasising investment as a growth engine, Meghwal said, 'There are two types of investment--one public and the other private.'

Further elaborating on public investment, the Union Minister said, 'It could be sprucing up facilities in government hospitals, infrastructure development, revamping seven railway stations in Assam under Amrit Bharat Station, a redevelopment plan of railways at a cost of Rs.872 crore and other initiatives.'

On MSME as third growth engine, the Union Minister said the micro and medium enterprises have contributed to the GDP growth rate with consumption level to remain steady in between 62 to 68 percent, investment in the range of 25 to 28 percent and export minus import figures to keep the momentum going.

Meghwal said under MSME the loan limit has been raised, and the terminologies pertaining to definition and turnover have been changed. 'If MSME grows, production will go up; if MSME grows, employment will be generated and the GDP will remain steady,' he quipped.

Terming export and industrial development as the fourth engine of growth, the Union Minister said there should be a rise in export and industrial development. 'All these four engines of growth are the fulcrum of the present budget,' he added.

The Union Minister said the current budget has touched upon all the aspects of Industrial Revolution 1.0, that of steam; Industrial Revolution 2.0, pertaining to electricity; Industrial Revolution 3.0, that of IT; and Industrial Revolution 4.0, that of robotics, AI, and 3-D Printing.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Minister said that financial outlay has been raised from four to six times.

Under the state devolution fund, Rs 45,000 crore alone has been allocated to Assam under the Bharat Amrit Station for railway infrastructure, and a host of initiatives under Udan and the development of NHs.

The Union Minister said Assam will get a new urea plant at Namrup, which will help to cut down imports of urea.

Meghwal also praised Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and his team and State BJP President and MP Dilip Saikia for the swift development in Assam.

The press meet was attended by State BJP President Dilip Saikia, State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, Environment and Fire Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and party chief spokesperson Manoj Baruah.

Later, Meghwal dwelt at length on the slew of initiatives taken in the current budget presented by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for bolstering the economy of Assam and the Northeast Region together with the people-orientated welfare schemes at a Nagarik Sabha (citizens' meet) held at PWD Convention Centre here.

Economists, industrialists, businessmen and other stakeholders participated in the interactions that followed.

State BJP President, Dilip Saikia; Minister for Finance, Ajanta Neog; Lok Sabha MP, Bijuli Kalita Medhi; Mayor, Guwahati, Mrigen Sarania; and State BJP Vice President, Ashok Bhattarai, among others, were present on the occasion. (ANI)