Guwahati Dec 21 PTI Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said on Tuesday that financial inflow to the state from the Centre has increased after the withdrawal of special category state status to it She also said that the state government has been availing loans from different sources as per the parameters set by the government of India and within its capacity to repay Neog was responding to a query by Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi during the question hour in the state Assembly as to whether cash flow to the state for different developmental schemes has been affected after the withdrawal of special state status She said The change has only been in terms of nomenclature In fact we have been receiving more funds than before She also said there was no need for any proposal for according the special category status to Assam again as more funds have been coming into the state compared to the period when the state was under it To a question by Gogoi seeking clarification whether the state was receiving block grant at present the minister said the funds that were given under it previously are now being allotted under different heads There has been no financial loss for the state Neog added On allegations against the government of increasing borrowings to meet various expenses the finance minister said We have been taking loans are per the government of India parameters and within our repayment capacity In fact we have taken lesser loans than that we are eligible for Neog in her reply submitted in the House to Gogois question further said that central assistance for schemes that were under block grant previously is now received either as regular grants from the Centre or through allocation made under the 14th Finance Commission In reply to a written question by AIUDF legislator Aminul Islam she said the state has received Rs 93673 crore as loan from the Centre in the last six years from 2015-2021 The loan burden of the state as on March 31 2021 as per pre-actual estimates is Rs 8274107 crore the Assam finance minister said Moreover the state has paid Rs 2226994 crore as interest against loan in the last six fiscals from 2015-16 she said To another question by Congress MLA Nurul Huda the minister in her written reply said the state has received Rs 861162 crore in the form of GST in 2020-21 The amounts for the preceding two years was Rs 84023 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 875530 crore in 2019-20 she added PTI SSG KK KK KK

pBased on the FIR lodged under several IPC Indian Penal Code sections for cheating criminal breach of trust impersonating public servant and criminal intimidation a joint team of Nagaon and Guwahati police raided Neogrsquos house in Guwahati on Saturdayp