Assam govt to publish white paper on central funds flow: Gogoi

Assam government will prepare a white paper on the amount of central funds given to the state by the earlier Congress-led UPA government and the present BJP-led NDA government.
"We will prepare a white paper next month and will also lay it in the state Assembly during the next session for record so that people know what is the correct picture," Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters here today.
"Who can hide facts?... Everything will be put on record clearly. The 90:10 central grant to state contribution funding pattern has been stopped. Till today no money has come from the Centre. So we cannot make budget for our schemes as we don't know how much central funds will come," he asserted.

"The NDA changed the funding system causing problem not only for me, but for all the other states in India. The DONER Ministry had allocated Rs 312.29 crore to the North Eastern Council last year for development schemes, but has released only Rs 10.81 crore so far," the chief minister said.
"From the non-lapsable fund of Rs 289.63 crore, only Rs 151.15 crore was released," he said.
Stating the state was losing 800 hectares of land annually due to erosion with four lakh hectares lost so far, Gogoi said "Government of India talks about schemes for prevention of erosion, but is not clear from where the money will come."

On setting up of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Assam, he said "We have been given land, but the Centre has not allotted funds in the budget for setting it up. We have earmarked for the purpose two pieces of land in Guwahati and one in Nagaon district."
Speaking about wages of tea garden workers, Gogoi added, "We had an agreement with the tea sector that of the Rs 177 minimum wages fixed by the government, they will pay Rs 137 in cash per day to the workers after deductions for ration provisions, housing, etc.