Assam subsidy row: Gaurav Gogoi seeks PM Modi's 'intervention' over Rs 10 crore grant to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife

Assam's Member of Parliament (MP) and Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, on Tuesday wrote to PM Modi to intervene on the issue of a Central government subsidy of Rs 10 crore allocated to the firm owned by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, for the interest of public transparency. 

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Congress MP said that the matter came to light after Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal while replying to questions in Lok Sabha as to whether the Government has taken the initiative to invest in Assam in order to support the promotion of industries, has given a list of Food Processing Projects supported under component of PMKSY in the Northeastern States as on January 21, 2022.

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Further, it was also found that at serial no. 7 of the list, the name of M/S Pride East Entertainments Private Limited has been mentioned with an approved amount (Grand-in-aid) of Rs 10 crore, the letter stated.

However, the Assam chief minister posted on X saying, "Yes, all family members of BJP politicians have the right to run their own companies and seek government subsidies if they are entitled to them."

The letter to PM Modi also suggested such companies should seek credit from the financial sector or banks and government grants must be given to the genuine and needly beneficiaries who have displayed the expertise to utilise the tax-payers money in the proper manner.