Assam wants present funding pattern to be continued for central schemes

Assam has asked the Centre to continue with the existing pattern of funding for all Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), which may be 100 percent funded by the Centre or in the ratio 90:10 for Special Category States like Assam.

"The announcements in the Union Budget 2015-16 have given us reasons to believe that the Central assistance to Assam will get reduced substantially. It appears that there is a move to further do away with a large number of CSS and to even to reduce the number of very important flagship programmes from the existing 17," an Assam government press statement stated. The state government is of the view that any change in the funding pattern of CSS would result in resource crunch for Assam. "This would put a very difficult strain on our resources. This burden on the state would further mount as the coverage and scope of the schemes may have naturally to be expanded depending on the state's needs in future," it added.

The state government said that it got "indications" that CSS for example the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the main scheme in the Agriculture sector, which was funded with 100 percent central assistance is proposed to have a funding pattern of 50:50. Similarly, the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), which had a funding pattern of 90:10, is proposed to have a funding pattern of 50:50. "The lack of clarity in the funding pattern for most CSS schemes has created uncertainty and confusion," it added.