GUWAHATI, Nov 5 - The economy of Assam is back on track after the lockdowns were withdrawn gradually and it will be fully return on track if the State does not face a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, said former Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Sanjay Krishna, who retired as the Chief Secretary of the State on October 31, said that fighting the COVID pandemic and floods together was a major challenge for the State administration. He pointed out that the first 50 days of his tenure as the Chief Secretary was spent on dealing with law and order because of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act movement, which was followed by the pandemic and floods.
Sanjay Krishna said that the economy is slowly coming back on track because the economy of Assam is not dependent on large industries and it is dependent mostly on agriculture, tea, petroleum, small and medium industries etc. He said that Assam Government was the first to allow tea gardens to spray disinfectants and then to go for plucking and manufacturing. West Bengal allowed tea industry to function three months after Assam did, he said. The State Government also allowed functioning of agriculture and allied sectors as soon as possible and that is why, production was not badly affected. He said the Chief Minister chaired a meeting of the State Level Bankers� Committee and requested all the banks to be liberal in providing loans.
The Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme launched by the Government of India would also be beneficial for bringing the economy back on track, he said. He also said that majority of people, who returned home during the pandemic, were not daily wage workers and most of them have started returning to their workplace in different parts of the country.
Dealing with COVID-19 was not only a health related issue and several other issues had to be dealt by the administration including imposing and enforcing lockdowns, ensuring smooth supply of essential commodities, maintaining close ties with the Railways and truckers, etc. During the lockdown, the State was also hit by the fury of floods and Sanjay Krishna pointed out that there was no major complaint of inadequate relief distribution during the floods this year.
Replying to a question on the failure of the State Government to implement different schemes on time, the former Chief Secretary said that regular monitoring is the key. He said that during his tenure as the Chief Secretary, he made it a point to review implementation of all the Centrally sponsored and Central sector schemes and a special cell has also been set up. He said that regular coordination with the North Eastern Council and the Department for Development of the North Eastern Region was also maintained and a number of NEC sponsored schemes are being implemented, which include setting up of a bamboo industrial park at a cost of Rs 50 crore in Dima Hasao, goat rearing project in Golaghat, development of hostel and other facilities in Cotton and Kanoi Colleges, etc.
