Assam: CM Sarbananda Sonowal seeks recommendations from EAC to boost state's economy

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday held a meeting with the economic advisory committee under the chairmanship of Subhas Das, former additional chief secretary, at the Chief Minister's residence.The Economic Advisory Committee was formed recently in view of the economic slowdown brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Chief Minister sought recommendations and suggestions from the committee to revive the state’s economy.

Stating that agriculture and allied sectors have a lot of potential to generate employment opportunities and bring about faster economic dividends, the Chief Minister stressed the need to provide market linkage to farmers while assuring them of a minimum guaranteed price for their products.

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Roadmap to ensure market sustainability for farmers

The Chief Minister called on the committee to provide recommendations to streamline the production-procurement-marketing chain so that a roadmap can be prepared for achieving market sustainability for the farmers. Augmentation of cold storage and other such facilities was the need of the hour and the committee must put forward their suggestions in this regard, he said.

Sonowal further stressed that every crisis brings opportunity, Sonowal said that the need of the hour is to make the state self-reliant in sectors such as fisheries, livestock, fruit cultivation, dairy farming, etc. through strategic interventions.

The Chief Minister also said that the youth of the state returning from outside due to COVID-19 pandemic must be empowered to live a life of dignity through self-employment opportunities and agriculture and its allied sectors can play a very important role in this.

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Chairman of the committee Subhash Das said that after going through available data, the committee would be able to submit a preliminary report within the next 20 days. The committee would look at making systematic interventions through a holistic approach, he said.

It may be mentioned that the 8 member economic advisory committee was constituted by the Chief Minister on May 3 under the chairmanship of retired IAS officer Subhas Das. The other members in the committee are former Vice-Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University Dr. KM Bujarbarua, Professor of Gauhati University Dr. Madhurjya Bezbarua, Associate Professor at Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development Dr. Joydeep Barua, Managing Director of Rashtriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi Dr. Amiya Sarma, ARIAS Society’s agribusiness consultant Gautam Goswami, State Organizing Secretary of Bharatiya Kishan Sangha  Krishnakanta Bora and noted journalist Adip Kumar Phukan.

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