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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday met the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Arvind Panagariya and discussed a gamut of issues pertaining to devolution of funds given the state's unique aspects.
In the course of the 40-minute meeting at Bhawan Annexe, 1 Tolstoy Marg here, Chief Minister Sarma highlighted Assam's unique challenges, ranging from its diverse geography to the impact of climate change, its strategic position vis-a-vis close proximity to international borders, coupled with demographic shifts. Emphasising that Assam's unique challenges demand tailored solutions, the Chief Minister underscored the need for bridging regional disparities as the way forward towards a Vikshit Bharat. The Chief Minister pointed out that despite the impediment, the State has been able to achieve higher capital expenditure and put up a remarkable performance in vital sectors, including health, education, drinking water, infrastructure, local governance, disaster mitigation, power, etc. Sarma said the present government is wholly committed to ensuring that Assam emerges as a net contributor in India's quest to become the third-largest economy. Towards this end, insightful submissions were made that could help to give added impetus to Cooperative Federalism, address vertical and horizontal challenges, and strike a fine balance between equity and efficiency. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, KK Dwivedi, Commissioner and Secretary, Finance Department, Govt. of Assam, Jayant Narlikar and other officials. Later, taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister wrote, "It is always insightful to meet Shri @APanagariya Ji, the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission. We discussed aspects unique to Assam with regard to devolution of funds." It may be recalled that Chief Minister Sarma in course of a meeting with the Chairman and members of the 16th Finance Commission during their visit to Assam on September 26 last year had urged the commission to increase Assam's share within the framework of horizontal devolution and to accord the North East Region comprising eight states as a collective block by allocating 10 per cent of Central tax revenues. "To realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making the North East a growth engine, greater fund devolution is crucial," the Chief Minister quipped. Constituted on December 31, 2023, with Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, as its Chairman, the 16th Finance Commission is mandated to submit its recommendations by October 31 2025, for the award period of five years commencing from April 1 2026. (ANI)
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