New Delhi: The 2020-21 Budget outlay under the DoNER ministry’s special development package – meant for the three territorial councils constituted under the Sixth Schedule in Assam – have been raised to Rs 101 crore. This is double the amount of expenditure in 2018-19. However, a closer look at the revised expenditure for the 2019-20 fiscal shows that even though Rs 80 crore was the outlay for the period, the amount spent was Rs 70.11 crore – nearly Rs 10 crore less than the funds allotted in the budget.
As per the expenditure budget data of the DoNER ministry, while Rs 20 crore was the outlay for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) during 2019-20, the funds spent as per the revised budget was only Rs 4 crore. The 2020-21 budget outlay has been kept at for Rs 10 crore, half the amount allocated in the last budget.
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For the Dima Hasao Territorial Council, while Rs 20 crore was also the outlay for 2019-20, the revised budget went up to Rs 26.11 crore. The 2020-21 budget has kept aside an outlay of Rs 34 crore for the Council.
As usual, among the three councils, the highest outlay of funds has been to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council. The Rs 40 crore allotted during the 2019-20 budget was spent. The amount allocated for the 2020-21 fiscal is Rs 57 crore.
Two projects for Assam
Delivering her budget speech in parliament, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced only two specific projects for the region. Both were for Assam.
She said funds would be allocated to develop inland waterways over the Brahmaputra to connect the 890 km long distance between Dhubri bordering Bangladesh, and Sadiya, close to Arunachal Pradesh touching a strategic part of the India-China border.
The minister also named erstwhile Ahom capital Sivasagar in upper Assam to be among five archaeological sites to be developed as “iconic sites with on-site museums”.
From this fiscal onwards, the Ministry for Civil Aviation would launch Krishi Udaan on both domestic and international routes. The minister said, “This will help improve value realisation especially in Northeast and tribal districts”.
Sitharaman said, “Government is ensuring smooth access to financial assistance agencies to help introduce innovative and global best practices.” She said the Centre “has effectively used an online portal to reduce gestation period of online” which “has improved the flow of funds to the northeast region”.