GUWAHATI, Nov 18 - Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today asked the DoNER Ministry to publish a White Paper giving details of the funds it has released over the last 18 months for the development of the North East.
In a statement here on Wednesday, Gogoi said, �Since the DoNER Ministry has come into being, North East has never been subjected to such a shoddy treatment as being meted out by the present dispensation at the Centre.�
The Chief Minister said that the Centre has withdrawn the �Special Category State Status� from the North East, thus delivering a severe blow to the tempo of development of the region. Inflicting yet another blow to the North East, the BJP-led NDA Government has suspended the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, thereby discouraging flow of investment and industrialisation in the region, he added.
Gogoi said the DoNER Ministry was created to give a fillip to the growth and development of the North East. However, the Centre�s decision to withdraw the Special Category State Status has not only put a spanner on the flow of financial packages, but has also slowed down the pace of development of the region.
Gogoi also said, �When the Centre has not released flood management fund to Assam, State�s share of oil royalty has been put on halt, why the DoNER Ministry, which has been mandated to see the matters related to the socio-economic development of the North East, is maintaining a stoic silence?�
The DoNER Minister�s frequent visit to the North East should translate into a corresponding fund flow to put the region into growth trajectory, Gogoi said while adding that the DoNER Ministry giving a detailed account of the fund released for North East in the last 18 months would add credibility to the statements of the Minister.
