GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Sunday constituted an economic advisory committee to revive the state’s economy and break the stagnation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The eight-member committee led by former additional chief secretary Subhas Chandra Das as its chairman would study the various aspects of the state’s economy and provide recommendations to bring back economic buoyancy through systematic interventions.
The move is in pursuance of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s recent meeting with 29 senior economists who had suggested several long term and short term steps to overcome the economic slowdown brought about by COVID-19. The economists had also advocated setting up of an economic task force and expert committee.
The economic task force also comprises seven members including KM Buzarbaruah, former vice-chancellor, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat; Madhurjya Bezbaruah, professor, Gauhati University; Joydeep Barua, associate professor, Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKDISCD); Amiya Sarma, executive director, Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi; Gautam Goswami, agri-business consultant, Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society; Krishna Kanta Bora, state organising secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Sangha and Adip Kumar Phukan, senior journalist.
The state government had in the meeting on April 28 resolved to work out a unified and time-bound plan to tackle economic slowdown arising out of the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
The economists had suggested phase-wise resumption of various activities in priority sectors by adhering to all norms in view of COVID-19.
