Guwahati, Feb 11: Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday accused the Congress of exploiting the Northeast, especially Assam, for “vote bank politics”.
Addressing a press conference here, the Union minister for rural development, agriculture and farmers’ welfare said the Modi government has given due focus to the Northeast and made the region the centre of the country’s development.
“For decades, the Congress treated the Northeast, especially Assam, as a place for the execution of its notorious vote bank politics. There were dilapidated roads, poor rail network, no industry and no job generation during its tenure,” Chouhan said.
When the NDA government assumed charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on the Northeast’s development and tried to solve all problems of the region, he added.
Chouhan said that the Union Budget for the 2026-27 fiscal has prepared the complete blueprint of developed India.
“The Chicken Neck corridor, which connects the Northeast with the rest of the country, is a bridge of India’s unity and backbone of the country’s integrity,” he added.
Hailing the Budget as “historic” and “futuristic”, the Union minister said it will bring positive changes to the nation, including the northeastern region.
He said Rs 6,812 crore has been allocated to the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (MDoNER), which is Rs 897 crore more than the previous budget.
“This enhanced allocation clearly demonstrates the Union government’s priority towards accelerating development in the region,” Chouhan said.
On Assam, he said that for FY’27, Rs 49,725 crore has been budgeted towards tax devolution; and Assam has received approximately Rs 3.12 lakh crore since 2014 through tax devolution.
“Among the healthcare initiatives announced in the Budget is Biopharma SHAKTI (Strategy for Healthcare Advancement through Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore over five years, aimed at strengthening domestic capabilities in biologics and biosimilars to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
“As part of this initiative, existing institutions such as NIPER Guwahati will be upgraded, contributing to research, innovation and skilled manpower development in the region,” Chouhan said.
The Union minister further said that the agriculture budget has been increased to Rs 1,32,561 crore this year, reinforcing the government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare.
“A provision of Rs 9,967 crore has been made for agricultural education and research to strengthen innovation and scientific advancement. To ensure the availability of affordable fertilisers and reduce production costs for farmers, a fertiliser subsidy of Rs 1,70,944 crore has been provided,” he added.
Speaking about the Ministry of Rural Development, Chouhan said that the budget has been increased by 21 per cent this year.
“Within this, a provision of over Rs 1.51 lakh crore has been made for the VB-G RAM G Act as compared to Rs 86,000 crore only under the previous MGNREGA,” he added.
The Union minister also announced that the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has approved the proposal of Government of Assam for the procurement of 60,500 MT Rapeseed or Mustard for 2026 Rabi season at Minimum Support Price under Price Support Scheme in the state.
“This will ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and prevent them from resorting to distress sale. Rs 104.17 crore have been allocated to Assam for 2026-27 under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses,” he added. (PTI)
