Assam wants Rs 3,07,430 cr from 14th Finance Commission

The Assam government has sought Rs 3,07,430.13 crore from the 14th Finance Commission to meet its non-plan expenditure and to "give an added thrust" to infrastructure development projects in the state.

"The Commission should take an effective step to rectify the vertical imbalances between the centre and the states by way of bringing cess and surcharges to the shareable pool of resources," said Tarun Gogoi, Assam's chief minister who is also in charge of the finance ministry, at a meeting held here today with YV Reddy, chairman of 14th Finance Commission. Gogoi requested the Commission to increase the size of the divisible pool of central taxes from 32 to 50 per cent.

Making a forceful plea that reduction of royalty on crude oil at discounted price has hit the state's economy hard, Gogoi urged the Commission for its intervention in amending the existing methodology for calculation of rate of royalty on crude oil from the existing 20 to at least 30 per cent.