Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Holds Meeting to Boost Rural Economy

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met with representatives from the Agriculture Department and the Chief Minister's Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) at Janata Bhawan in an effort to strengthen Assam's rural economy. He also spoke about several important programmes in the meeting that will help local farmers with their needs.

During the meeting, CM Sarma also went over the steps the agriculture department had suggested taking to set up rice mills and give combine harvesters and mini trucks to Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), which are associations of small and marginal farmers.

He emphasized increasing farmer support and creating an ecosystem that facilitates improved paddy procurement and encourages the export of agricultural products. Additionally, he provided instructions on how to make the suggested initiatives more beneficial and affordable for farmers. The state government would provide support, according to the chief minister, for the construction of 50 rice mills with a 200 MT milling capacity.

This programme will be supported by the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and CMSGUY, with subsidies ranging from 10 lakh to 40 lakh depending on the mill's capacity. According to Sarma, the state government will also fund the construction of 1,000 mini rice mills through the AIF and will provide a subsidy of up to Rs 1.17 lakh per mill. Contrarily, the Agriculture Department's proposal would provide FPCs with Combine Harvesters in exchange for a subsidy of up to 90%.

Additionally, the Chief Minister requested that the Department implement the plan to provide Mini Trucks to FPCs so they can use them for agricultural purposes with a subsidy of 30% or Rs 1.5 lakh, whichever is less. Atul Bora, the minister of agriculture, Ajanta Neog, the minister of finance, BR Samal, the principal secretary to the chief minister, Samir Kumar Sinha, CEO CMSGUY Padmapani Bora, and other officials were present at the meeting.

The Chief Minister previously met with representatives of the Finance Department to discuss projects to be funded by the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance (NIDA), and Rural Infrastructure Assistance to State Governments (RIASG) (RIAS).

During the meeting, it was also decided to move forward with projects like the Chandrapur Stadium, Old Age Home at Boko, Tourism Project at Jongalbolohu Garh, and 2000 Anganwadi Centers. Additionally, CM Sarma requested that the officials identify projects for taking up under RIAS that will generate income and provide a means of subsistence.