NIPFP team undertakes study of Assam finances to prepare perspective plan

Guwahati: A high-level delegation of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) headed by Dr Rothin Roy is on a five-day visit to Assam to conduct a comprehensive study on Assam State finances to recommend a 10-year Perspective Plan (2016 to 2026) along with structural and institutional reforms in public finance.
The team met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at his office here on Wednesday to apprise him about the pre-study consultations it would have with state government officials of different departments, members of the 5th Assam State Finance Commission and representatives and officials of all Autonomous Councils in the next five days.
During the discussions, Chief Minister Gogoi apprised the team members about how the State has been strictly adhering to a slew of fiscal discipline and management measures to augment its resources in the backdrop of Central Government’s retrogressive steps to choke the flow of funds.
The NIPFP team will study the trend of revenue generation and suggest measures to augment the resources in the light of new policy of Central Government after advent of NITI AYOG and post 14th Finance Commission Award. It will study and recommend to the State Government on how to reduce wasteful expenditure and plug loopholes/leakages and ways and means to raise resources.
The team will study the pattern of expenditure and suggest measures for public expenditure reforms as well as make evaluation and targeting of subsidies by the State.
It will also study the impact of State-level public sector enterprises on their finances and measures to be adopted for improving their performances besides the current status of various decentralization initiatives including transfer made to Rural, Urban Local Bodies, VI Schedule Areas and Autonomous Councils.
It will further undertake a study on the impact of power sector reforms on State finances and suggest suitable  measures for sustained development.