

Assam election results: what the new govt will face as it tries to bootstrap its economy
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Whether the majority of the exit poll predictions regarding the landslide victory of the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government come true or not will be known later on Monday. However, the newly-formed government, irrespective of the party, will be inheriting an economy full of contradictions—of high economic growth and low income.
The following indicators will try to paint a picture of the current state of Assam's economy, which the next government will inherit.High economic growth: Assam has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies of the country, growing by 7.8% per year on average in the last five years in real terms. Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Assam was ₹6.4 trillion in 2024-25, ranking it 16th among Indian states.However, the question remains whether that economic growth is actually benefitting people.
“Assam is starting from a low base, so even a slight increase shows a high economic growth, which is called the base effect. This partly explains the high economic growth.However, it has to be seen how the state is faring in the Human Development Index (HDI).
If the growth is equitable, the state will show a good HDI. In this regard, Assam's HDI is not at all impressive.
So even if Assam is showing high economic growth, whether that is percolating to the bottom of the pyramid, remains the question,” economist Debarshi Das told Mint. Assam's HDI in 2023-24 is 0.65, lower than the national average of 0.68.Low per capita income: Among the four states and one Union Territory, which went to the polls this April, Assam had the lowest per capita income (PCI) in 2024-25, which is ₹1.77 lakh, much lower than Tamil Nadu ( ₹4.04 lakh), Kerala ( ₹3.46 lakh),
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