Assam has emerged as the leading state in India in effectively utilising the Centre’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) fund, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Friday. Speaking at the inauguration of the Brahmaputra Riverfront project in Guwahati, she praised the state government for its prompt and efficient deployment of 50-year, interest-free central loans earmarked for infrastructure development, including hospitals, roads, and other critical capital assets. “The way Assam is planning and creating assets, it is utilising the central fund to the maximum level. Assam tops the list,” Sitharaman said. “While all states are creating assets, nobody is doing it like Assam is working.”
During her visit, the Finance Minister inaugurated two major urban projects in the state capital: the Gateway of Guwahati, which includes a terminal and jetty on the Brahmaputra riverbank built at a cost of ₹305 crore, and the Brahmaputra Riverfront project at Sati Radhika Udyan, developed for ₹327 crore. Highlighting the balance between infrastructure growth and local livelihoods, Sitharaman noted, “I heard there was a fish market beneath this riverfront project. The Chief Minister told me that it still exists and people can still go to the river to catch fish. This is a good blend between livelihood and development.” The minister emphasised that urban development must progress “without displacing people,” adding, “Bringing in changes by not disturbing the livelihood of people is an example of good governance.”
Sitharaman, on a two-day visit to Assam, also inspected the upcoming Tata Electronics Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility at Jagiroad in Morigaon district. She described the Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant as a milestone project that would place Assam “in the driver’s seat of the engine for developed India.”On Saturday, she is scheduled to visit Gohpur in Biswanath district to lay the foundation stone of the Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University, approved by the Assam Cabinet in June at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore.