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Assam's Social Audit Unit, set up to ensure transparency and accountability in rural development schemes, has faced severe operational and governance challenges, according to a CAG report. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on 'Local Bodies' for the period ending March 2024 highlighted that the registration of SAU expired long back due to infrequent governing Body meetings that hindered budget approvals and annual account certifications. "The registration of the SAU under the Societies Act remained invalid for almost five years, since December 2019. Gross shortfall in holding of governing body meetings implies the deficiency in monitoring at the government level," it added. The CAG recommended that governing body meetings should be held at stipulated intervals to ensure approval of the budget and annual accounts of SAU, and to facilitate effective monitoring of the activities. It also pointed out that the manpower policy of SAU is yet to be firmed up, even .
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the Cabinet has decided that Aadhaar cards would not be issued to those above the age of 18 to ensure illegal immigrants don't acquire the document. "In exceptional cases, the district commissioner will have to send a proposal to the state government seeking permission for issuing the card," he said at a press conference here after chairing a cabinet meeting. Remarking that Aadhaar card issuance has reached a saturation point in the state, Sarma said, "In some districts, it has crossed the 100 per cent mark, and we must ascertain who these people are who are taking the additional Aadhaar cards." The step is being taken to ensure that no illegal Bangladeshis get Aadhaar cards, he said.
The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the UCC Bill that seeks to put in place a common legal framework to govern marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships irrespective of religion, even as the opposition demanded that it be sent to a select committee. With the passage of the proposed legislation, Assam became the third state, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to pass a Uniform Civil Code Bill. Goa also has one common civil law, which continued from its erstwhile Portuguese colonial period. After a day-long discussion on the 'The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill', Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass asked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to move it for passage. Dass rejected the opposition's demand that the Bill be sent to a select committee for wider consultation, prompting them to move to the Well of the House and keep on shouting till the Bill was passed. The Speaker put the Bill for voice voting, amid continuous slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Shree Ram' by th
The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday approved the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, but the tribal population will be kept outside its purview, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The UCC Bill will be laid before the new legislative assembly on May 26, the chief minister said at a press conference here after chairing the first cabinet meeting of his second term as the head of the government. "This is a major decision taken in the first cabinet meeting and aligns with the commitment we made during the elections," he said. Sarma said Uttarakhand, Goa and Gujarat have already implemented the UCC, but his government has customised it for the requirements of Assam. ''We have completely exempted the tribal population from the purview of UCC. All rituals, traditions and customs practised by the people of Assam outside the scope of UCC,'' he said. The UCC will deal with succession, marriage, live-in relationships and compulsory registration of marriage and divorc
Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister of Assam for the second consecutive term on Tuesday. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office to Sarma at a grand ceremony held at the Veterinary Ground in Khanapara area in Guwahati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Pabitra Margherita, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and BJP president Nitin Nabin were present at the swearing-in ceremony. The swearing-in ceremony marks the formation of the third successive NDA government in the state. Sarma's mother Mrinalini Devi, wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, son Nandil Biswa Sarma and daughter Sukanya Sarma were also present on the occasion. The NDA won a record 102 MLAs of the 126-member assembly, including 82 from the BJP. The BJP allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF), bagged 10 seats each.
BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma will take oath as chief minister of Assam on Tuesday, along with four ministers two from the saffron party and one each from its allies AGP and BPF. This will be the third NDA government in Assam, to be led by Sarma as the chief minister for the second consecutive term, the only non-Congress CM to achieve the feat in the state. Former minister and senior BJP leader Ranjeet Kumar Dass will be the NDA's candidate for the position of Speaker of the state Assembly, Sarma said in a post on X. "Happy to announce that the following four colleagues of mine will take oath as Ministers tomorrow along with me in the august presence of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji - Shri Rameswar Teli Shri Atul Bora Shri Charan Boro Smt Ajanta Neog," the CM-designate said. Bora is the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Boro is a Bodoland People's Front (BPF) MLA, and both were ministers in the previous NDA government. Neog was also a minister in the previous
Himanta Biswa Sarma was elected as the leader of the BJP-led NDA in the Assam assembly on Sunday, paving the way for him to become the chief minister for the second consecutive term in the state, Union minister J P Nadda said. Eight BJP legislators proposed the name of Sarma as its legislature party leader, Nadda said. Earlier, the Assam BJP's legislature party met here in the morning to elect its leader, who will also head the new government in the northeastern state. Nadda and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini were present at the meeting as central observers and co-observers. The BJP partners in the alliance, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF), also supported Sarma's nomination, leading to his unanimous election as the NDA leader, Nadda said. Sarma and other NDA leaders are scheduled to call on Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Lok Bhawan later on Sunday to discuss matters pertaining to government formation, officials said. They are expected
The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected BJP-led NDA government in Assam will be held on May 12, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, chief ministers and deputy CMs of BJP-ruled states, and representatives from industries are expected to attend the function. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Veterinary Field, Khanapara, he said. "Chaired a comprehensive review meeting with the DGP, Assam today to assess preparedness for the forthcoming visit of the Hon'ble Prime Minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Council of Ministers", Kota posted on X on Wednesday night. Arrangements related to security, traffic management, venue readiness, protocol, and inter-departmental coordination were discussed in detail, he said. ''Emphasised the need for seamless execution, strict adherence to established protocols, and close coordination among all stakeholders," Kota said. All departments concerned
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said. The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4. "Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X. The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said. Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11. "As it was a historic win, we have ..
The delimitation of constituencies to reduce the impact of minority candidates in their earlier strongholds is one among the many factors that led to the NDA's stupendous performance in the Assam polls, securing a record win of 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The 2023 delimitation exercise, which redrew and realigned constituencies with some earlier Muslim-majority seats getting reserved for indigenous communities, played a significant role in the increase of seats for the BJP and its allies in the just-concluded assembly polls. The minority votebank played a key role, particularly for the Congress and AIUDF, in all previous assembly polls in 35 seats but delimitation reduced its influence to less than 25. The 24 seats that the opposition won, mostly in constituencies unaffected by delimitation, include 22 Muslim candidates with both the Congress and AIUDF showing a sharp decline in their erstwhile bastions. The realignment led to the fragmentation of Muslim-majority ...