Ranchi, Jan 28 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said the focus of the state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal will be on employment generation opportunities for youths, which is “the need of the hour”.

The budget session of the Jharkhand assembly will be held from February 24 to March 27. The budget for 2025-26 will be tabled on March 3.

“A large number of youths from across the country are disappointed about the issue of jobs and self-employment opportunities. It is important to think about ways to create job opportunities for the youths. It is the need of the hour,” Soren said during a pre-budget consultation here.

Besides top government officials, experts from various fields also attended the consultation.

“We will try to incorporate the valuable suggestions given by the experts in the upcoming budget,” Soren said.

This will be the first budget of the Hemant Soren government after the JMM-led alliance returned to power, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly in November last year.

He said Jharkhand is a mineral-rich state and it also impacts the country’s economy, but “these resources do not appear adequate to resolve the state’s problems”.

Despite various challenges, Jharkhand is now performing well in different parameters of the Niti Aayog, the CM said.

“There are several aspects that give Jharkhand a distinct identity in the country. The ‘Maiyan Samman Yojna’ is one such scheme... Jharkhand offers Rs 15,000-16,000 crore to half of its population under the programme. This is not a small thing,” he asserted.

“I want to assure the people of Jharkhand that the government will not put any additional burden on any individual. We will explore our internal resources and be successful,” Soren said.

Speaking on the occasion, the state’s Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore hailed Jharkhand’s financial management over the last five years.

“Despite hurdles, I think we will achieve 90-95 per cent of the expenditure target by March 31,” he said.

The minister also expressed concern over delay in submission of utilisation certificates to the central government.

"Grants-in-aid from the Centre for Jharkhand was estimated at Rs 16,961 crore this fiscal. But, we have received only Rs 4,808 crore so far. The Union government officials say they did not receive the utilisation certificates in time. I want to ask who is responsible for this? Ultimately, the people will suffer,” Kishore said.

He asked the state officials concerned to promptly provide the utilisation certificates to the Centre. PTI SAN RBT

State budget emphasis on job creation for youth, with internal funding focus and urgent need to submit utilisation certificates to secure central grants. The state budget will prioritise employment generation for youth and incorporate expert suggestions, while the government seeks to avoid adding burdens on individuals by mobilising internal resources and sustaining existing welfare payments. The Finance Minister highlighted strong fiscal management and near completion of expenditure targets but warned that delayed submission of utilisation certificates has caused a shortfall in central grants, urging officials to submit certificates promptly to secure pending funds.