Towards Faster and Sustained Revival of Assam's Economy: A Note Submitted to Advisory Committee for Revitalisation of State Economy in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the long-standing lockdown that was implemented to mitigate the emergency, has given rise to an unprecedented challenge for the Union Government as well as the State Governments. Though initially in Assam, the number of those affected by the virus has been low, however, the impact of the lockdown extends beyond a public health crisis into different domains of the state’s economy. Additionally, the imminent threat of floods in the State will compound the suffering of people. In this backdrop, a slew of comprehensive reforms and the robust implementation of the same, by the State Government, can prove to be critical not only in revitalising the state economy but also to make it a self-reliant economy.
CBGA responded to the appeal from Government of Assam’s Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of the State Economy; we made a submission highlighting a number of short and medium term measures that the government can consider. The present note puts forward a few suggestions like, putting in place emergency spending provisions, carrying out some amount of expenditure reprioritisation, and taking steps to ensure access to essential public provisions for a large proportion of the State’s population.
