Guwahati, 6th February: In a startling revelation today at the Assam Assembly, state’s Finance Minister Ajanta Neog disclosed that the Assam government has been borrowing a staggering Rs. 59 crore per day from various sources. The total debt burden as of March 31, 2023, stands at a whopping Rs. 1,09,071.28 crore.
The breakdown of borrowing over the years is equally alarming: Rs. 5,649.45 crore in 2016-17, Rs. 10,476.2 crore in 2017-18, Rs. 14,003.88 crore in 2018-19, Rs. 16,634.53 crore in 2019-20, Rs. 19,256.59 crore in 2020-21, and a staggering Rs. 25,902.16 crore in the financial year 2022-23.
What’s even more concerning is the revelation that since Himanta Biswa Sarma took office as the Chief Minister of Assam, the state’s borrowing has escalated dramatically to a daily average of Rs. 59 crores. During Sarma’s two-year tenure from 2021 till 2023, the state government secured loans amounting to Rs 43,050.57 crore.
In another startling disclosure, General Administration Minister Ranjit Das revealed that the Assam government allocated a whopping Rs 58.23 crores for charter helicopter and flight services. On Tuesday, Das told the assembly that between May 10, 2021, and January 30, 2024, the state government disbursed the said amount for airlifting and helicopter services. This revelation underscores the significant investment Assam has made, averaging 5.86 lakhs on helicopter and chartered flight operations per day.
(This report was published with AI assistance)
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