The Assam government has reportedly spent over Rs 58 crore on arranging helicopter rides for the travel of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his ministerial colleagues, and other dignitaries between May 2021 and January 2024. The expenses were incurred as “airlifting/helicopter” charges.

The reply was given on February 6 in response to a set of written questions by Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi. The Sarma government, however, did not offer the break-up of the amount spent specifically on flights chartered by Sarma himself. The MLA had particularly asked for this break-up.

The year-wise break-up of the total amount stated by the government in the House was:

• Rs. 10,19,81,946 between May 10, 2021 and December 31, 2022.
• In the financial year 2022-2023, public funds worth Rs 34,01,05,848 were spent to charter flights and helicopters for the chief minister and other dignitaries.
• From January 2023 to January 2024, the amount spent was Rs 14,02,19,313.

Although the sum cited by the Sarma government for the 2022-2023 financial year matched with an earlier statement placed at the assembly last September, it, however, hugely overshot the amount cited by it in an RTI reply given to The CrossCurrent in September. After the state government did not respond to the RTI application filed on August 22, 2022 for nearly a year, the Guwahati-based news portal had appealed to the State Information Commission, seeking a reply. The commission, on August 8, 2023, directed the state’s General Administration Department to provide the information asked for through RTI. In September 2023, the state government shared information but only partially. The RTI application had also sought details on such spending from May 10, 2021 till date. May 10, 2021 was the day the new chief minister, Sarma, was sworn in after the BJP won the state assembly elections for the second time, replacing the incumbent chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The Wire and The CrossCurrent’s joint report based on the partial RTI reply by the Sarma government showed that the state government had spent crores in the chief minister’s non-governmental activities – which included attending high-profile weddings within and outside Assam and engaging in his party’s work, including campaigning for party leaders and its allies by violating the Election Commission of India’s model code of conduct¹.