Guwahati: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes have been the biggest contributor to poverty reduction in the state and asserted that the govt aims to bring the multidimensional poverty rate down to a single digit.Replying to the discussion on the 2026-27 state Budget in the assembly , Sarma said Assam’s multidimensional poverty rate has fallen from 32.67% in 2015 to 14.47% at present. He said direct cash benefit transfers have played a significant role in reducing poverty and described DBT as the most effective way to address the issue directly. While development, agriculture and MSMEs also contribute to poverty alleviation, he said these measures take longer to produce results.Sarma said studies have found that welfare schemes such as ‘Orunodoi’, ‘Nijut Moina’ and the free foodgrain programme have made the largest contribution to reducing poverty in the state.He claimed that previous Congress govts could not reduce poverty effectively because many beneficiaries did not have bank accounts and Aadhaar, and recalled former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s observation that only a small portion of welfare benefits reached the intended recipients.Sarma said the Centre’s support for major infrastructure projects has enabled Assam to undertake transformational initiatives, including the Kaziranga elevated corridor and the proposed Brahmaputra tunnel. Describing the Budget as a reflection of the “double-engine govt”, he said the Centre and the state govt are working together for Assam’s development.He said expanding the state’s budget requires sustained economic growth driven by industrialisation, agriculture and allied sectors, while emphasising the need for a competitive approach within the federal structure to secure greater assistance from the Centre.The CM said Assam has made significant progress in key development indicators over the past decade despite its relatively small gross state domestic product (GSDP). He said the state’s performance in areas such as maternal mortality rate (MMR), institutional deliveries and girls’ education has improved considerably and is now close to the national average.Referring to the global economic situation arising from the West Asia crisis, Sarma said the state govt has provided 60% dearness allowance to its employees, a benefit that only a few states in the country have extended.Rejecting the opposition’s allegation that the Budget was a “copy-paste” of previous years, Sarma said it reflected the BJP-led govt’s continuing vision for the state’s development and continuity of welfare programmes.
