Assam’s economy has to accelerate and catch up with the rest of the country. Assam has come to a state where this seems possible. Infrastructure is in a better shape in terms of roads and railways. Civil aviation can be quickly improved. Power situation can be made better soon if projects under implementation are quickly completed. Telecommunication is growing rapidly and the new technology makes it possible to get connected from any place at modest cost without waiting for government to invest in capacity creation and network expansion. Finance is now relatively easier to obtain. The implementation of the package announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will give a big thrust to the region’s economy. The continuous monitoring of the various measures in a transparent manner where the progress report can be tracked on a website updated every three months, offers hope that these measures will be implemented. Thus the stage is set for Assam to take off. Government has an important role to play in the development of Assam, in the provision of social services, infrastructure and good governance. To do this it will have to put its fiscal house in order. Downsizing of government is the most pressing imperative for faster development. It is critical to develop institutional mechanism particularly to provide accountability and to shake up non-performing governance systems. Decentralization and devolution of financial resources to local Panchayats should be done as soon as possible. People should be given a right to information, so that local bodies function in a transparent manner. A strategy of development led by public action and initiatives all over the state is more likely to succeed, where young men and women clearly perceive the promise that the future holds out for them. Such decentralized development is less likely to be a victim of extortions. If Assam’s development is to be based on its natural resources and on a participatory basis, the following sectors will play important roles: - Agriculture - Horticulture and Agro Processing - Silviculture and Handicrafts - Fishery - Forestry and related industries - Tourism - Petrochemicals and related industries - IT based services These are obvious and well known. We have tried to explore: what has constrained development of these sectors? What should we do now that is different and would lead to better results? These are critical questions.