GUWAHATI, July 15 � The Opposition members in the State Assembly today said that the White Paper submitted by the Chief Minister on State�s economy was disappointing, while, on the other hand, the ruling party members claimed that despite the problems faced by Assam, the State�s economy was growing at a healthy rate.
Participating on the discussion on the White Paper, Leader of the Opposition, Chandra Mohan Patowary said that despite the claims made by the Government, the State is still ranked lowest among all the states of the country in several fronts. He said that since Independence, the State was ruled by the Congress for most of the years and the White Paper should have reflected the scenario since Independence. He pointed out that the White Paper only revealed the allocations for different projects but not the physical achievements. If the financial scam in NC Hills is an indication, one can easily judge what kind of physical achievement of the projects are taking place, he added.
Patowary said that the Government�s claim of spending 99.37 percent of plan funds for development was only a �camouflage� and the failure of the Government to spend the budgeted allocation indicated failures to work for development. The Government cannot claim the credit for undertaking economic reforms as the Planning Commission and the Finance Commission have made it mandatory for all the States to go for such reforms, he added. He said that the agriculture growth of Assam is among the lowest in the country and of the 2075 irrigation schemes, only 675 are functioning. The per capita income of Assam is among the lowest in the country and the per capita gross capital formation in Assam is only Rs 900 against the national average of Rs 4476. As per a survey of investments, Assam was ranked 19th among 20 states surveyed, he added.
Patowary further said that the permanent state secretariat, the photo of which was printed on the cover of the White Paper, started during the AGP regime.
Power and Industries Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said that the information supplied in the White Paper were transparent and reflect the actual facts regarding the economic health of the State. He said that the present progress of the State started during the AGP regime itself when the Congress under the leadership of Tarun Gogoi, who was the APCC President at that time, started planning ahead. �The Congress prepared the economic plans and took them to the people. The people responded positively and voted the Congress to power,� he added.
Ranjit Dutta (BJP) said that the much publicized programme of taking the Government to the doorsteps of the people failed to yield any result and truck loads of applications were lying unattended to. He said that the economic development of the State depended mainly on the Central grants and the State showed revenue deficit to attract grants from the 13th Finance Commission. Displaying photographs of artificial floods in Guwahati city, he said that even half an hour�s rain is enough to submerge the city. On the issue of deportation of foreigners, he said that Rs 23.43 lakh is spent on deportation of each foreigner. He also said that the Government totally failed to ensure proper implementation of schemes like the NREGA.
Dr Aditya Langthasa (AUDF) said that the White Paper was misleading. Though the Government tried to project a colorful picture, the real picture lies in the development of the interior places.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the gap between the per capita income of Assam and rest of the country started increasing during the days of the Assam agitation. He said that from the growth rate of 1.2 percent during the AGP regime, the present Government managed to increase the growth rate to 6.9 percent. He said that the State managed to ensure proper implementation of the central schemes including the NRHM by releasing the State�s share on time.
