Guwahati: From where will the funds promised to the Rongali Bihu committees come? The State Cultural Affairs Department is confused about it.
Dispur did take a policy decision to stop the culture of 'sanda' (fund-raising through donations) in the name of holding the Rongali Bihu. It announced that it would pay Rs 1.50 lakh each to the Rongali Bihu committees celebrating the Bihu in the first seven days of Bohag for the past ten years. The number of Rongali Bihu committees in the state fulfilling the criteria is over 1,000.
The decision is a recent one. The Cultural Affairs Department has no Budget provision for this scheme. In the absence of any budgetary provision of funds, the usual step followed is placing a supplementary demand (Budget) in the Assembly for additional funds. However, the Assam Legislative Assembly will be in its Budget session from March 14. And the State government has not decided to place a supplementary demand before the Assembly right now. When the government places supplementary demands before the Assembly, it informs the departments concerned to submit proposals well ahead of time. No department has received any such information from the government as yet.
The Rongali Bihu will be from mid-April.
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