Tarun Gogoi asks DoNER to come out with White Paper on fund release

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today asked the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region ( DoNER) to come out with a White Paper on release of funds to the North Eastern states and non-submission of utilisation certificates by the states.

"Union Minister of State for DoNER Dr Jitendra Singh must avoid double speak by asking the NE states to expedite fund utilisation and submit the utilisation certificates (UC) on time on one hand and blame the Finance Ministry for non-release of Rs 900 crore to DoNER on the other," Gogoi said in a statement here.

DoNER has been created exclusively for the development of the North East region, but the very purpose has been defeated as fund flow from it has slowed down during the last two fiscals, he said.

Gogoi pointed out that the percentage of utilisation of the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) has been a whopping 83.37 per cent from 1998-99 to 2015-16.

Of the Rs 2,629.50 crore released under NLCPR, the state government has submitted utilisation certificates amounting to Rs 2,192.40 crore.

Of the 619 sanctioned projects, 373 have been completed and 246 were ongoing. Under the NEC funded 66 schemes, Rs 41,196.90 lakh has been released and UCs amounting to Rs 30,814.72 lakh submitted as on September 2015, he said.

Gogoi said the slowing down of fund flow from DoNER coupled with the change in funding pattern and withdrawal of special category status by the present government at the Centre have adversely affected the pace of development in the region as a whole.

"The indifferent approach of the Centre is tantamount to grave injustice to the people of the North East," he added.