Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Government of India is not satisfied with the fund utilization under special development packages by two autonomous councils in Assam - the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC).
Finding that the fund utilization by the BTC and DHATC was low, as compared to their expenditure targets, the state government has been requested to expedite completion of ongoing projects and to send the demand requests as per the expenditure plans of the two councils.
The two autonomous councils were plagued by insurgency at different times, and tripartite peace agreements were signed with rebel groups to bring back peace in the areas governed by them.
In order to expedite development in the regions under the autonomous councils, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) sanctions funds as special development packages (SDPs).
In a recent review meeting of the 57th Empowered Inter-Ministerial Committee (EIMC) of SDPs, the utilization of funds by the autonomous councils was found to be unsatisfactory.
According to the minutes of the EIMC meeting, it was found that the expenditure target for the BTC in the second quarter of the current financial year (July-September 2025) was Rs 12.1 crore, but the actual expenditure was nil.
Similarly, the expenditure target for the DHATC was Rs 6.35 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal year. However, the actual expenditure incurred was only Rs 2.14 crore.
After the review meeting, the EIMC expressed concern over the low utilization of funds under the SDPs, noting, "While reviewing the expenditure, it was observed that expenditure made by the BTC and DHATC is not very encouraging. The Transformation & Development (T&D) Department, Government of Assam, was accordingly requested to expedite the completion of the ongoing projects. They were also requested to send the demand requests as per the expenditure plans, especially under the BTC and DHATC."
MDoNER sanctions funds under SDPs to three autonomous councils in Assam, namely BTC, DHATC and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Councils (KAATC).
Also Read: Union Cabinet Approves Special Development Package for Assam& Tripura