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Sonowal SOS for tiding over financial crisis

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Aug 29 - Reeling under acute financial crisis, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday made an SOS to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a financial package to bail out his government from the mess.

A day after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister rushed to meet Jaitley at his North Block office to plead for sanction of a financial package to tackle the financial crisis.

Sonowal reportedly explained to the Union Finance Minister that the current financial position of the Government of Assam is in such a state that it cannot implement any major scheme.

The BJP-led government in Assam recently presented its maiden budget for the 2016-17 financial year that showed a deficit of Rs 2,880.91 crore, while the internal debt for the State is estimated to be Rs 10,423.26 crore.

Presenting the budget, State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the fiscal deficit will be 2.97 per cent of the State GDP, which is estimated to be Rs 2,24,641 crore at current price for this financial year.

Sonowal, however, could not meet BJP national president Amit Shah to discuss about the appointment of a permanent president of the State BJP unit and expansion of his ministry.

Later Sonowal told newsmen that before the Union Finance Minister he has repeated the plea he had made to the Prime Minister regarding financial assistance for rehabilitation of the flood victims. He said that he has urged Jaitley to promptly clear the financial assistance recommended by the inter-ministerial team that is scheduled to visit the State later this week.

The Union Finance Minister has assured to release the funds, besides stating that the Centre would extend the necessary financial assistance to overcome the crisis, said Sonowal.

Yesterday, Sonowal had told the Prime Minister about a series of steps that the State Government has taken to bail the State out of the scourge of flood and sought the Centre�s assistance and support so that rehabilitation and reconstruction work could be undertaken on a fast-track basis.

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