 "Sonowal seeks Rs 10,000-crore package from Modi")
With the new Assam government inheriting a Rs 10,000 crore committed liability of the previous government, the state’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today sought “special support” from the Centre. Sonowal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said Assam needed about Rs 10,000 crore to honour the committed liabilities accumulated over a period of time and other liabilities arising out of pay revision of employees.
In his 25-miniute discussion with Modi at latter’s official residence, Sonowal said while the new state government had been shifting focus to augment internal resources without depending on the central assistance alone, the state’s existing "precarious financial position" has necessitated special support from the Centre, more so during the transitional phase. Sonowal also submitted a memorandum and a White Paper on the state’s finances to the Prime Minister.
The Chief Minister said that his government had been 'seriously' trying to tap the inner strengths of the state within the limited capacity and resources to generate internal resources, attracting investments and building on the core strengths. “Our Government has decided to surge ahead with Restructuring Systems and Technology for Augmentation of Resources for Transformed Assam (ReSTART Assam) to mop up maximum possible resources through a coordinated and concerted mission mode programme,” the chief minister added.
The ReSTART Assam programme with base on four-pronged action plan viz., rationalising revenue collection through reforms and restructuring of policy, legislations and administration; mobilising additional resources in a “big way” through externally aided projects; focusing on institutional reforms for improving public finance management with focus on investments in critical sectors and on large scale IT-enabled systems with "near-zero human interface" and real time monitoring of revenue collection. These initiatives, said Sonowal, would “bear fruits only after two-three years”.
The chief minister requested the Prime Minister for financial assistance for infrastructure projects such as roads, river, power and IT as well as service sector. Sonowal also requested the Prime Minister to release the Rs 10,000 crore crude oil royalty to the Assam and to use his good offices to ensure price of crude oil at pre-discounted rate as in the case of Gujarat following an interim order of the Supreme Court. He also pleaded for early release of the Rs 1,226 crore the Union ministry of water resources owes to the state under the Flood Management Programme (AIBP-FMP).