Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said direct cash benefit transfer (DBT) schemes have played the biggest role in reducing poverty in the state and asserted that the government aims to bring the multidimensional poverty rate down to a single digit.

Replying to a discussion on the state budget in the Assembly, Sarma said Assam’s multidimensional poverty rate has declined from 32.67 per cent in 2015 to 14.47 per cent now.

"Direct cash benefit transfer has played the most major role in poverty alleviation in our state, and we intend to bring down the rate to a single digit," he said.

"To attack poverty directly, direct cash benefit transfer is the way. Poverty alleviation through development, agriculture, MSMEs, etc, will take years," he added.

He said the Centre's help in implementing various ambitious projects in the state has enabled his government to undertake transformational work.

The chief minister claimed the previous Congress governments failed to reduce poverty as people did not have bank accounts or Aadhaar, and recalled that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had acknowledged that only a small portion of welfare benefits reached the intended beneficiaries.

Sarma said studies have shown that welfare schemes such as Orunodoi, Nijut Moina and free foodgrain distribution have made the biggest contribution to poverty reduction in Assam.

He said the budget was a reflection of the Centre's and state's combined commitment to development, adding that it was due to the central government's support that ambitious projects like the Kaziranga elevated corridor and underground tunnel through the Brahmaputra are being implemented in the state.

Alleging that people influenced by Left ideology were opposing development projects, Sarma warned of strict action against those obstructing such works.

"To increase the budget size, we need growth. And for it, industrialisation, agriculture and development in such sectors are imperative," he said.

The chief minister stressed the need for a competitive approach in the present federal structure to secure greater assistance from the Centre.

Rejecting the opposition’s criticism that the budget was a "copy-paste" of previous years, Sarma said it reflected the BJP-led government’s continuing vision for the state’s development.

READ MORE: Magsaysay winner Safeena Husain wants to send 10 million girls back to school

Seeking support to develop a self-sufficient state, Sarma urged the MLAs to nurture entrepreneurial ventures in their constituencies, cooperate in implementing government projects and provide guidance to youth to succeed in competitive exams.