Two targeted spending decisions — one to end years of patchy electricity in southern Assam, another to ease housing-loan costs for tens of thousands of families — moved a step closer to reality on Saturday, 7 November 2026, after Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma's office directed a high-level finance review that greenlit over ₹72 crore in fresh sanctions.

Acting on CM Sarma's instructions, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota chaired a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) — the state's apex body for clearing major departmental expenditure proposals — to take up submissions from both the Power Department and the Finance Department.

₹51.27 crore to rewire Barak Valley's ageing grid

The larger of the two sanctions — ₹51.27 crore — is earmarked for upgrading ageing transmission lines and reinforcing power connectivity across Barak Valley, the southern Assam region encompassing Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts. Historically, the valley has lagged behind the Brahmaputra Valley in reliable electricity access, a gap that successive state governments have attempted to close through periodic infrastructure allocations since the early 2010s. This latest clearance signals a continued push under the current administration to address that structural imbalance — moving beyond patchwork repairs toward reinforced transmission capacity.

44,602 Apon Ghar beneficiaries to receive interest relief

The second sanction — ₹21.19 crore — flows under the Apon Ghar Scheme, the state government's interest subvention programme that reduces the effective borrowing cost for housing-loan holders. The cleared funds are directed toward interest subvention for 44,602 beneficiaries, making it one of the more precisely targeted welfare disbursements in the current budget cycle. The scheme reflects a broader strategy in Assam of deploying fiscal tools — rather than direct construction — to bring homeownership within reach of middle and lower-income households.

Together, the two sanctions place ₹72.46 crore on the table — but the real test, as always with infrastructure and welfare spending, lies downstream: in physical execution of transmission works across challenging terrain and in the timely flow of subvention amounts to each of the listed beneficiaries. The Chief Minister's Office indicated both proposals cleared the SFC with the support of relevant departmental heads.

For Barak Valley residents who have lived with unreliable power for decades, the approval is the first necessary step. Whether the grid upgrades materialise on the ground — and on schedule — will determine whether this sanction is a turning point or just another line in a budget book.