Assam tops utilisation of central fund in creating capital assets Sitharaman

    Guwahati, Nov 7 (PTI) Assam tops the list of states for maximum utilisation of special central fund to create capital assets like hospitals, roads and other infrastructure, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.
    Inaugurating the Brahmaputra riverfront project here, she said urban development should have a fine balance with livelihood of people so that nobody is affected by new construction activities.
    "The Centre gives funds to every state under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme to build capital assets like hospitals, roads and other infrastructure. Assam also gets it," Sitharaman said.
    The money is given to the states as 50-year interest-free loans to boost the states' capital expenditure, she added.
    "The way Assam is planning to create assets, it is utilising the central fund to the maximum level. Assam tops the list," the Union Finance Minister said in her speech.
    Although all states are creating assets, nobody is doing it like Assam is working, she added.
    Sitharaman inaugurated the 'Gateway of Guwahati' project, comprising a terminal and jetty on the Brahmaputra riverbank, developed at a cost of Rs 305 crore.
    Later, she dedicated the Brahmaputra Riverfront project, set up at Sati Radhika Udyan for an expenditure of Rs 327 crore, in the state capital to the people.
    "I heard that there was a fish market beneath this riverfront project. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told me that it still exists and they can still go to the river to catch fish. So, this is a good blend between livelihood and development," Sitharaman said.
    Urban development is necessary, but not by displacing the people from the localities, she added.
    "We need to work to improve people's lives. Bringing in changes by not disturbing the livelihood of people is an example of good governance. The fine balance between the two is important," the Union Finance minister said.
    Sitharaman reached Guwahati in the morning on a two-day tour, during which she is scheduled to unveil a range of projects across different places of the state.
    In the afternoon, she visited the upcoming facility of Tata Electronics' Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT), situated at Jagiroad in Morigaon district of central Assam.
    Sitharaman said that the Tata Group's upcoming Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant will put Assam in the driver's seat of the engine for developed India.
    On Saturday, she will go to Gohpur in Biswanath district and lay the foundation stone for the Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University.
     The Assam Cabinet in June this year had approved development of the varsity at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)