Assam Finance Department to start evaluation to assess volume of loans by micro finance
From Trishna Pegu Doley
GUWAHATI : The Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on his third day in office after taking over the post of Chief Minister, held a meeting with the Finance Department and asked the officials to accord high priority on any file related to health to augment the state’s fight against COVID pandemic. Taking a review of the works of the Finance Department where State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog was also present at the conference hall of Finance Department, Chief Minister Dr Sarma asked the department to accord high priority to the files and dispose them expeditiously to strengthen the government’s pro-active guards against the Corona pandemic.
Taking stock of the issues with respect to the Finance Department, Dr. Sarma also asked the department to expeditiously release funds following all financial norms for all the welfare schemes for the benefit of all sections of the people. He also made it clear that the momentum of development of the state depends to a great extent on the finance department. He, therefore, asked the department to seamlessly continue the best practices adopted and implemented over the last five years to continue to sustain the good fiscal health of the state. Dr. Sarma also asked the Finance Department to declare July as the Orunodoi month to give a new facelift to State government’s pro-people scheme of financial inclusion. He also asked the officials of the department to include more eligible beneficiaries under the ambit of the scheme. He asked the department to release funds under SVAYEM scheme for youth empowerment. On taking note of distribution of scootys under Banikanta Kakati Merit Award of Pragyan Bharati scheme, Dr. Sarma asked the department to expeditiously complete all modalities to carry forward the scheme and distribute the remaining scootys among the girl students on an urgent basis.
Chief Minister Dr. Sarma also asked Principal Secretary Finance Samir Sinha to take a lead in assessing the existing vacancies in different government departments for the state government to take pragmatic steps for recruiting one lakh youths in government jobs. He also asked the department to undertake an extensive evaluation on the volume of loans provided by micro finance institutions to enable the government to prepare a realistic roadmap for the waiver of loans. Taking into consideration of the ‘demography and demand’ of the state, the Chief Minister asked the Finance Department to work more aggressively so that the state finance grows and be kept in good stead. Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Jayanta Malla Baruah, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Finance Samir Kumar Sinha, and other senior officers of Finance and Health Department were present at the meeting.
