Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasised the challenges faced by Assam in his meeting with a team of 16th Finance Commission on September 26 which was also attended by ministers of his Cabinet and officials of the State Government at the Lok Sewa Bhawan. He also highlighted Assam’s growth trajectory despite the challenges.
The Commission’s four-day visit to Assam began on September 25. They met with Dr. Sarma in his office to discuss a range of financial matters crucial to Assam’s future.
Later, in the presence of the Chief Minister, the seven-member Finance Commission team, led by Chairman Arvind Panagariya, met Assam’s Cabinet Ministers, the Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, and senior officials from various departments, focussing on the State’s financial roadmap.
During the meeting, Dr. Sarma expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Finance Commission for their dedicated visit. Highlighting Assam’s unique challenges, from its diverse geography to the impact of climate change, its proximity to multiple international borders, and concerns about demographic shifts, the Chief Minister underscored how, despite these hurdles, Assam has managed to achieve higher capital expenditure and demonstrated strong performance across critical sectors, including health, education, drinking water, infrastructure, local governance, disaster mitigation, power, etc.
Arvind Panagari
Dr. Sarma highlighted the significant rise in Assam’s GDP and per capita income, stating that Assam is poised to shift from being a dependent State to becoming a vital contributor in India’s quest to become the third largest economy. To achieve this, insightful submissions were made that could help strengthen Cooperative Federalism, address vertical & horizontal challenges, and strike a fine balance between equity and efficiency.
“To realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making the North East a growth engine, greater fund devolution is critical,” Dr. Sarma stressed. The Chief Minister urged the Commission to increase Assam’s share within the framework of horizontal devolution and to consider treating the North-East as a collective block by allocating 10% of Central funds to the eight North Eastern States.
Emphasising that Assam’s unique challenges demand tailored solutions, the Chief Minister firmly stated that bridging regional disparities is the only path forward for Bharat. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the 16th Finance Commission would take Assam’s circumstances into favourable consideration.
To realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making the North East a growth engine, greater fund devolution is critical
-Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma
Among those also present were Secretary of the Commission Ritvik Pandey, members Ajay Narayan Jha, Ms Annie George Mathew, Manoj Panda, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Joint Secretary Rahul Jain.
