Page 26 - Assam

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

Assam Assembly passes bill to abolish Muslim marriages, divorce act

The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to repeal a law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan had on August 22 tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 in the Assembly to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024. Taking part in the discussion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "Our aim is not only to abolish child marriages, ... also to get away with the Kazi system. We want to bring registration of Muslim marriages and divorces under the government system." He said that registration of all marriages has to be done as per a Supreme Court order, but the state cannot support a private body like that of Kazis for this purpose. Mohan in the Statement of Object and Reasons of the Repealing Bill said, "There remains a scope of registering marriages of intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female)." It hardly had a

Assam CM Himanta hits out at Mamata Banerjee over 'provocative' speech

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for allegedly threatening the northeastern state with unrest. He claimed that Banerjee was trying to provoke the public to hide her own failures. Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show your anger to us, Sarma wrote on X, sharing a 46-second video clip of a speech by the West Bengal CM. In the clip, Banerjee is seen stressing that though Bangladesh and her state share the same language and culture, both are two different countries with West Bengal being part of India. Alleging that Modi's party is trying to fuel the situation in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, If Bengal is set on fire, Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected. She was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the foundation day of her party's student wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad. Don't even try to incite India with your politics

935,000 people with locked biometrics to get Aadhaar card: Assam CM Himanta

Over 9.35 lakh people of Assam who were not being able to get their Aadhaar cards as their biometrics submitted during the NRC updating process, were locked, will be issued the cards soon by the UIDAI, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. He said the Central government has instructed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue the cards as it has been established that there is "no correlation between inclusion of name in National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Aadhaar registration". Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said, "There were total of 9,35,682 people who had submitted the biometrics for Aadhaar cards between February to August, 2019, at Aadhaar centres, which also doubled up as NRC centres. It was due to a confusion that the biometrics of these people were locked." "They were facing problems due to it, like not being able to apply for scholarships, get ration cards, etc. We had been pursuing the matter with the government of India,

Champai Soren under own govt 'surveillance' for 5 months: Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday alleged that Jharkhand minister Champai Soren had been under 'surveillance' of his own government police for last five months. Two sub-inspectors (SIs) of Special Branch of Jharkhand Police were nabbed by Soren's people in a Delhi hotel while they were keeping watch on the ex-chief minister, Sarma said. "This is one of rarest case of surveillance in Indian politics, we will raise it at the highest levels," Sarma said at a press conference here. "As per the two SIs, orders to track Soren came from a 'person in Constitutional position' and the Special Branch chief," Sarma said. He said the two SIs were handed over to Delhi police, who are taking forward the investigation. The Assam CM said it is also suspected now that Soren's phones could be tapped and there might have been a plan to 'honey trap' him as a woman had also been meeting the two SIs. "Soren was put under surveillance even before he was in talks with the BJP," Sarma

Pure communal venom: Sibal slams Assam CM for his remark on Muslims

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his "will not let 'Miya' Muslims take over the state" remark, saying his comment was "pure communal venom" and silence was not the answer to such a statement. Asserting that he would take sides, Sarma on Tuesday said he would not let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on the admissibility of adjournment motions moved by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said on X, "Himanta (Assam CM): 'Will take sides. Will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam'. My take: Pure communal venom. Actionable. Silence not an answer." 'Miya' was used as a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims initially, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community ha

I will take sides, won't let 'Miya' Muslims take over Assam: Himanta

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that he would take sides, and won't let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" the Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on adjournment motions brought by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Replying to the motion, he said the crime rate has not increased if the population growth is taken into account. When the opposition charged him of being partisan, Sarma retorted, "I will take sides. What can you do about it?" "Why will people from Lower Assam go to Upper Assam? So that Miya Muslims can take over Assam? We won't let it happen," he asserted. Amid the heated debate, members of both treasury and opposition benches stormed into the Well of the House, prompting Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes. MLAs of Congress, AIUDF, and CPI(M), and lone Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi had moved four adjournment motion

Opposition protests Himanta govt's failure to prevent crimes against women

The opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday held demonstrations in various parts of Guwahati, including the assembly complex, alleging the failure of the government to protect women and prevent crime against them. Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia marched from inside the assembly building to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the compound, holding placards and shouting slogans demanding the safety of women and condemning the targeting of a particular community for all crimes against women. "The Dhing incident is not the only one. After that also, many such cases have taken place in different parts of the state," Saikia told reporters here. "The CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, is not at all serious and concerned about the situation. We discussed in the assembly about crimes against women with NCRB data and asked the government to take action," he said. Saikia claimed that the Home Department has asked the Assam Police not to register "some cases"

Assam CM Himanta bats for stringent law to tackle crimes against women

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday advocated for a stringent law to tackle crimes against women, expressing support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for such legislation. Sarma emphasised that all legal processes, including inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction, should be completed within six months in cases involving crimes against women. "Crimes against women are on the rise. I welcome the PM's announcement that a strict law is needed," Sarma said. He further remarked, "My only observation is that a deadline of six months should be fixed for all processes such as inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction in crime cases against women. Then only will we be able to reduce such crimes." Sarma's comments come in the wake of protests over the rape-murder of a doctor at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters at Union Minister Sanjay Seth's residence in Ranchi, Sarma said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on Sunday advocated for a strict

Affordable TB testing technology developed by ICMR's Assam centre

An affordable tuberculosis testing technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body ICMR's regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current diagnostic methods often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some ...

Bigger intention of grabbing land behind crimes against women: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that the recent incidents of crimes against women in the state are being committed with a "bigger intention of grabbing land and threatening the identity of the Assamese people". He hinted at 'political patronage' behind the crimes, while also claiming that financial power is shifting out of the hands of the Assamese people. "No society is perfect. Crimes against women are a reality. These crimes had come down in the state in the last three years. But the real intention in the recent incidents is much bigger, through crimes such as rape the target is our land, civilisation," Sarma said at a press interaction late on Saturday evening. "In Assam, this design is on for the last 30-35 years. That is why the Assam Agitation happened. We have identified the radicals now, but in 1975 itself, the Assamese society was warned that this would happen," he said, referring to the six-year-long movement from 1979 against illegal immigrants from

Two Bangladeshis detected in Assam, sent back home, says CM Himanta

Two Bangladesh nationals who illegally entered India were detected in Assam and sent back to their country, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The duo was apprehended at Badarpur railway station and sent back to Bangladesh on Friday night, he added. "Two Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at Badarpur railway station by @assampolice," Sarma wrote on X. The apprehended individuals were identified as Masum Khan, resident of an area under Modelganj police station of Bangladesh, and Sonia Akhtar of Dhaka. They reportedly entered India through the Madhoppur (Bangladesh)-Agartala route and were en route to Bengaluru, Sarma said. "In collaboration with the BSF, Assam Police successfully pushed them back across the border last night," the chief minister added. Sarma had said on Saturday that over 30 Bangladeshis trying to enter India without valid documents have been pushed back from Assam in the last one month. They were en route to Bengaluru and other south Indian cities in s

Zero-tolerance policy in dealing with crimes against women: Assam CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asserted that his government has a policy of zero-tolerance in dealing with crimes against women and drastic action is taken against the culprits in such cases. He also said the state's police force is setting an example with its prompt action in cases of crimes against women. When an incident (like rape) happens in Assam, police take quick action. No compromise is made. When it comes to matters of crimes against women, we have a zero-tolerance policy, Sarma told reporters. Referring to the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Dhing, the main accused in which died while purportedly trying to escape from police custody, Sarma said, The incident happened two days back. The police arrested the accused, he tried to escape by jumping into water and died in the process. On another case in which a person accused of molesting a girl was injured in police firing while reportedly trying to flee in Tezpur, the CM said, He tried to escape and w

Hindus not migrating to India, fighting in trouble-torn B'desh: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed Hindus have not tried to enter India from Bangladesh since the neighbouring country plunged into instability. Hindus are staying and fighting in Bangladesh. In the last one month, not a single Hindu person has been detected trying to enter India, he said at a press conference here. He also asserted that Muslims from the neighbouring country were attempting to crossover to seek employment in India's textile sector. 35 Muslim infiltrators have been arrested in the past one month... they are trying to enter, but those coming are not for Assam, but to go to Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore to work in the textile industry, the CM claimed. We have requested our prime minister to impress upon the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of Hindus, he added.

ED conducts searches in case related to Assam govt funds' misappropriation

Bank and fixed deposits worth Rs 34 crore were attached under the anti-money laundering law following searches in a case related to alleged misappropriation of Assam government funds meant for the welfare of construction workers, the ED said on Saturday. The case pertains to the "fraudulent" award of contracts worth Rs 118 crore during 2013-16 by the Assam Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (ABOCWWB) to a company named Purbashree Printing House, a proprietorship of Priyanshu Boiragi. "It is a case of misappropriation of money collected as cess for the welfare of construction workers. During the searches, various incriminating documents and materials were seized," the federal agency said in a statement. It did not say when the searches were conducted. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) added that it also attached "proceeds of crime" of Rs 34.03 crore in the form of bank and fixed deposits. The money-laundering case stems from an FIR registered by the Chief Minister

47,928 illegal immigrants detected in state between 1971-2014: Assam govt

The Assam government said that 47,928 illegal immigrants were detected in the state during the period between 1971 and 2014 and out of them 43 per cent are Hindus.The Foreigners' Tribunals of the state declared these people as foreigners during this period.Replying to a written question of AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who also holds the Home Department portfolio said that from 1971 to 2014 the Foreigners' Tribunals declared 47928 persons as foreigners and out of them 20,613 are Hindus and 27,309 are Muslims and six belonged to other religions.According to the state government data, out of a total of 20,613 Hindus declared as illegal immigrants by the Foreigners' Tribunals, 8,139 are from Cachar district, 2884 from Guwahati city, 1574 from Lakhimpur district, 1038 from Dibrugarh district.On the other hand, out of 27309 Muslims declared as illegal immigrants by the Foreigners' Tribunals, 4182 are from Jorhat district, 3,897 from Guwahati city, ...

47,928 foreigners detected in Assam in 43 years, 43% of them Hindus

The Assam government on Thursday said over 47,900 foreigners have been detected in the state from 1971 to 2014, out of which more than 43 per cent are Hindus. In a written reply to a query by AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) has declared 47,928 people as foreigners between 1971 and 2014. Out of them, 27,309 were Muslims, 20,613 Hindus and six belonged to other religions, he said. The CM said the highest number of foreigners was detected in Cachar. Out of 10,152 declared foreigners, 8,139 were Hindus and the remaining 2,013 were Muslims. As per the Assam Accord, names of all foreigners coming to the state on or after March 25, 1971 would be detected and deleted from electoral rolls and steps would be taken to deport them. Sarma said that according to the 2011 census, the state had a total Assamese speaking population of 1.51 crore, making up 48.38 per cent of the 3.12 crore residents. There were 90.24 lakh Bengali speakin

Autumn session of Assam Assembly begins on stormy note, Oppn stages walkout

The autumn session of the Assam Assembly began on a stormy note on Thursday with the entire opposition staging a walkout after the rejection of their three adjournment motions. When their motions were rejected by Speaker Biswajit Daimary, members of Congress, AIUDF, CPI(M) and Raijor Dal went to the Well of the House with placards and shouted slogans in support of their demands. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia raised the issue of exorbitant charges through smart metres, while Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi wanted to discuss a recent case of the attack on a minor national-level player, and AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam raised the proposal on the restriction of land sale-purchase between two communities. "Electricity is a basic amenity and the public can't be deprived of it. It's also in the concurrent list. The smart metres are charging exorbitant amounts and poor people are suffering. The subject needs urgent attention," Saikia said. Islam said it's the constitutional right of an .

Assam to table Bill to compulsory register marriage, divorce of Muslims

The Assam government will introduce a bill in the upcoming Autumn Session of Assembly for compulsory government registration of marriage and divorce of Muslim people, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Sarma said the government will table the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024 during the upcoming session, which will begin on Thursday. "Earlier, Muslim marriages were registered by the Kazis. However, this new bill will ensure that all marriages of the community will be registered with the government," he added. Sarma also claimed that marriages of minors were also registered by the Kazis earlier, but the proposed bill will prohibit any such move. "Now, minor marriage registration will not happen at all. We want to end the menace of child marriage. So, the marriages will be registered at the Sub-Registrar's Office," he added, citing cabinet decisions. Sarma said that there will not be a

ASDMA signs MoU with GSI for early warning system for landslides in Assam

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has signed an MoU with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for implementation of experimental regional Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) for combating the problem of landslides in the state. The MoU was signed by ASDMA CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi and Siladitya Sengupta, deputy director general, SU: Assam, GSI on Friday, an official statement said. The problem of landslides sometimes goes unnoticed or individual landslides are being dealt with ad-hoc response mechanisms, and the problem keeps on recurring every year. In addition to lives lost, large numbers of houses along with infrastructures destroyed in landslides in the hilly terrains of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Karimganj and Kamrup Metropolitan districts. During recent times, one of the major thrust areas in landslide risk reduction is the development of a regional LEWS for a large area with inputs from static landslide susceptibility and hazard maps, dynamic .