Giving UCs, but not getting funds: Gogoi

Widening gap between fund allocation and fund release for NEC projects hampering Assam's development, says CM

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, May 5: In a strong rebuttal to reports appearing in a section of the media that the Assam government has not submitted Utilization Certificates (UCs) of NEC funds, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said that the reports are not based on facts. In fact, the State government has already completed several NEC projects and many are on the verge of completion, he claimed.

In a statement, Gogoi said that his government up to 2015-16 received Rs 402 crore against which utilisation certificates to the tune of Rs 341 crore have already been submitted, which is 81 per cent of the total funds released to Assam. The NEC released another amount of Rs 27 crore in the last quarter of 2015-16 for which UCs will be submitted in due course.

Chief Minister Gogoi also said that sanctioning of projects by the NEC, however, is not commensurate with the total Central allocation made to the Government of Assam.

Gogoi said that during 2014-15, the Centre allocated an amount of Rs 312.39 crore as NEC projects for Assam.

“Accordingly, the State government submitted project proposals for 47 projects with total cost involvement of Rs 263.36 crore. The NEC, however, approved only five projects with fincial involvement of Rs 20.93 crore towards the end of the fincial year and released only Rs 46.73 crore for both ongoing and new projects,” he said.

Likewise, during 2015-16, the Government of India allocated Rs 312.39 crore for NEC projects. Setting aside a portion of this fund for on-going projects, the State government submitted 34 project proposals with total fincial involvement of Rs 250.87 crore. However, the NEC approved only two new projects for Rs 26.24 crore and released only Rs 27.91 crore against the allocated amount for the year 2015-16.

Gogoi said that the widening gap between fund allocation and actual fund released by the Centre for NEC projects in Assam only reveals the indifferent attitude of the Modi-led dispensation towards the State which is hampering its progress.  Moreover, the issue of non-submission of UCs by Assam is yet another attempt by the Centre to hoodwink the people of the State of their rightful claim, Gogoi alleged.

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