Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma stated today that Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) are crucial for Assam's development. "In all sectors like power, health, infrastructure, etc., we need external aid," he said.
The Chief Minister said this at a seminar on "Leveraging Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) in the North Eastern States" held in Shillong today. The seminar was chaired by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and brought together chief ministers and senior officials from across the north-eastern region.
Dr Sarma stated that Assam has been one of the major beneficiaries of EAPs and has effectively leveraged these initiatives to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to its people. He observed that projects supported under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions have significantly contributed to the state's developmental progress and have played an important role in transforming the Northeast into a dynamic growth engine of the country.
Laying stress on the importance of continuing and expanding such initiatives, the chief minister said that EAPs would be instrumental in unlocking new opportunities and sustaining the region's growth trajectory. Highlighting Assam's success in utilizing these projects, he said that the value of EAPs in the state has increased substantially from approximately Rs 7,500 crore during the 14th Finance Commission period to nearly Rs 53,000 crore under the 15th Finance Commission.
In his appeal to the union finance minister, Dr Sarma requested that she enable state governments to access enhanced limits under EAPs. He pointed out that over the past few years, projects supported by multilateral development agencies have empowered the Government of Assam to undertake several large-scale transformative initiatives that were previously considered financially unviable due to their high capital requirements.
The chief minister announced that Assam is currently implementing projects worth approximately Rs 53,000 crore under the EAP framework. In case of power generation, EAPs play a crucial role in Assam. "Power reforms were quite dismal in the past three years in Assam. However, the power scenario has now improved to a significant extent in the state. In 2014-15, capital expenditure was Rs 2,000 crore, and now it is Rs 26,000 crore. EAPs have a role in this quantum jump," he said.
Expressing his gratitude to the union finance minister for her presence and guidance, the chief minister said that the deliberations held in the presence of the chief ministers and other stakeholders of the north-eastern states provided a valuable platform for knowledge sharing, collaborative planning and strengthening inter-state cooperation in the implementation of development projects.
Dr. Sarma stated that the collective commitment demonstrated by the Union finance minister and the leadership of all north-eastern states reflects a shared determination to transform the region into a major driver of India's economic growth and development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
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