‘Congress left liabilities of over Rs 10,000 crore in Assam’

Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Friday said that his predecessor has handed over an immediate liability of Rs 10,018 crore which is in addition to the loan of Rs 30,000 crore.

Mr Sarma, who presented a white paper on the economic condition of the state, told reporters that corruption and inefficiency had shattered the internal revenue collection of the state.

“It registered a pathetic growth of 1 per cent in five years whereas neighbouring states, which were smaller in size, had phenomenal growth in tax collection up to 10 per cent during the same period,” he said.

He clarified that the new BJP government was ready to face these challenges and confident to overcome it, adding that former CM Tarun Gogoi had frequently referred to the previous regime as the poorest on the financial front.

Equating Central allocation on which Mr Gogoi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Sarma said, “In five years of UPA-2, Assam got a hike of Rs 8,000 crore of Central allocation whereas it grew by Rs 9,000 crore in last two years of BJP regime.”

Regretting that state tax collection machinery was almost non-functional during the previous Congress regime, Mr Sarma said the state was reduced to complete dependence on Central allocation.

Pointing out those specific department-wise liabilities that his government has borrowed from the Congress, Mr Sarma said his immediate challenge would be to liquidate it to make the state functional.

Indicating that rationalising the tax collection and making the department corruption free would be his immediate priority, Mr Sarma said that neighbouring states collected an excise to the tune of Rs. 700 crore whereas Assam despite being the larger state could collect only Rs. 300 crore in last financial year.

Mr Sarma said that he has not taken into account the other long-term loans and liabilities. Mr Sarma also presented the white paper on the state’s economy in the Assam assembly.