GUWAHATI: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has called for a white paper from the state government, demanding transparency on the “exact financial position” of Assam under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma‘s tenure, from 2021 to date.
Addressing the media at Rajiv Bhawan on Wednesday, former MP and senior Congress leader Ripun Bora accused the BJP-led government of pushing the state into significant debt and mismanaging fiscal resources. He pointed to a steep rise in Assam’s debt over the past two and a half years.
“During the tenure of former CM Sarbananda Sonowal (2016-2021), the state’s debt stood at Rs 66,020.65 crore. However, under the current CM, between 2021 and 2024, the debt has surged to Rs 1,52,000 crore—an increase of Rs 85,980 crore,” Bora said.
He added that this debt burden has forced the state to allocate Rs 7,299.18 crore annually just for interest payments.
Bora further highlighted the significant rise in revenue expenditure, which jumped from Rs 56,899 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,01,814.65 crore in 2022-23. This accounted for 84.88% of the total state expenditure of Rs 1,19,952.20 crore for the same period, leaving only 15% of the budget for developmental purposes.
Citing the CAG Report 2022-23, the Congress leader expressed concern over a 20.51% reduction in capital expenditure, which dropped from Rs 20,125.83 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 15,999.71 crore in 2022-23. He attributed this decline to the state’s financial crisis.
Bora demanded that the government issue a white paper detailing total revenue receipts, funds received from the Centre, loan amounts, expenditure breakdowns, reasons for cuts in capital expenditure, and explanations for repeated increases in VAT on petrol and diesel, including the recent hike of Re 1.01 per litre of petrol.
The Congress leader also criticized the government for its dependency on loans to fund beneficiary schemes, alleging this was done to secure a vote bank. “The loans aren’t being used for major development projects but rather to cover daily expenses and beneficiary payments,” Bora alleged.
He also revealed that outstanding liabilities against contractors and suppliers’ bills had reached Rs 26,000 crore as of March 2024 due to fiscal mismanagement, and employee salaries, amounting to Rs 5,000 crore, had been delayed for several months.