'Assam to lose Rs 9,000 cr due to change in Centre's policies'

Assam is likely to lose about Rs 9,000 crore in the financial year 2015-16 due to change in the Centre's economic policies and funding pattern towards the state, the state Assembly was informed today.
Replying to a query by AGP MLA Phani Bhusan Choudhury during Question Hour, state Planning and Development Minister Ajanta Neog said, "The total anticipated loss of Assam will be around Rs 9,000 crore in 2015-16 due to change in central policies."
Giving details, she said the state would get Rs 4,051.64 crore less due to delinking of a few central schemes and it has to bear an additional burden of Rs 2,951 crore due to change in funding pattern, among others.

"The Plan allocation for 2015-16 was fixed at Rs 25,406 crore, comprising Rs 20,127.79 crore of central share and rest of the state. However, only Rs 6,357.94 crore has been released by the Centre till mid-January," Neog said.
If the Centre does not release the entire money within the specified fiscal, then it would not not be released in the next year, she said.
The minister said the Centre had released only Rs 12,533.18 crore in 2014-15 out of its share of Rs 17,568.83 crore of the total Plan outlay of Rs 18,000 crore.

"So there is no money left from the Centre regarding the last fiscal and we have fully utilised the entire fund," she added.

Neog said earlier the Planning Commission used to give specific guidelines regarding Plan allocation and preparation of the state budget.
"Since NITI Aayog was formed, there have been no guidelines and we kept Rs 25,000 crore under Plan section in 2015 in anticipation of getting it. But, delinking of schemes and curtailing of the Special Category status has affected our financial position," she added.