Page 13 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

Amit Shah speaks to CMs of WB, Assam, Manipur after storm hits 3 states

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Manipur in the wake of severe losses suffered by the three states due to a storm, and assured them of all possible central help. Shah also appealed to the BJP workers in the three states to provide every possible help to the affected people during this hour of distress. "Deeply concerned about the severe loss suffered by West Bengal, Assam, and Manipur due to a storm. Spoke to the Chief Ministers and assured them of all possible assistance. I extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for the swift recovery of the injured," he wrote on X. Four people died and over 100 were injured as a storm wreaked havoc in parts of Jalpaiguri district in northern West Bengal on Sunday, while a child died and two persons were reported missing after a boat capsized in the Brahmaputra in South Salmara-Mankachar district, amid heavy rain and hailstorm across Assam. There were a

Highlights: BJP fields ex-diplomat Taranjit Sandhu from Amritsar, singer Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, ex-Cong MP Preneet Kaur from Patiala for LS 2024

From Amit Shah's visit to Assam to US Federal Chair Jerome Powell's statement on interest rates and keeping an eye on inflation, track all the news from around the world here

Home Minister Amit Shah to visit Assam on April 6: CM Himanta Sarma

Union Home Minister will address two election rallies in Lakhimpur and Hojai, which are under the Kaziranga parliamentary constituency

AFSPA extended in four districts of Assam for six months, says state govt

The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in four districts for six months from April 1. The state government's political department issued a notification, stating that the 'Disturbed Area' tag under the AFSPA has been extended in areas covering Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar districts. The Assam Police had submitted a report, asserting that there was an improvement in the law and order situation in the state, barring one militant organisation being active in the four districts. The state government's home and political department submitted a proposal to this effect to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which, after due consideration, decided to maintain the 'status quo' regarding 'disturbed area' for an additional six-month period, an official said. Subsequently, the state government, acting on the directive of the Centre, extended the Act till September 30, 2024, he said. The Act empowers security forces to conduct operations ..

Lok Sabha elections: Assam CM Sarma meets AGP leaders to discuss strategy

The Assam Chief Minister, while talking about the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, said that, in this election, the BJP and its ally parties will win the seats with a record margin

Bengali-speaking Muslims must stop child marriage, polygamy: Assam CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that Bengali-speaking Muslims must forsake practices like child marriage and polygamy to be considered 'khilonjiya' indigenous people of the state. Sarma had also previously held the Bengali-speaking Muslim community of the state, most of whom have roots in Bangladesh, responsible for these social evils. "Whether 'Miyas' (Bengali-speaking Muslims) are indigenous or not is a different matter. What we are saying is that if they try to be 'indigenous', we have no problem. But for that, they have to forsake child marriage and polygamy, and encourage women education," Sarma said on Saturday. 'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance. He said the Assamese people have a culture in which girls are compared to .

Kejriwal 'invited' ED arrest by not responding to its notices: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal effectively invited his own arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) due to his repeated failure to respond to summonses, suggesting that it might have been a tactic to garner political sympathy. Sarma emphasised that when a person disregards nine summonses from the ED, it indicates a deliberate invitation for arrest. He remarked that if Kejriwal had complied with the initial summonses, his arrest might have been avoided. Speaking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here after a poll-preparedness meeting on Saturday, Sarma said, "If the ED serves someone nine summonses and that person doesn't show up, it is evident that he is inviting his arrest. The ED didn't arrest Kejriwal, he invited the agency to arrest him." The BJP leader cited the examples of politicians such as Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who appeared before the ED when they were issued summonses, implying that Kejriwal's action

Assam secured over Rs 13,000-crore investments in last 14 months: CM Sarma

Assam has secured investments to the tune of Rs 13,364 crore with employment generation for more than 17,000 people in the last 14 months, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The investments have been committed through 21 proposals, approved by the state cabinet, under the Industrial and Investment Policy of Assam (IIPA), 2019. The IIPA was amended in 2023 to attract mega investments of Rs 100 crore and more, with permanent jobs for 200 or more, he said in a post on X on Friday. While MoUs for 14 of these proposals were signed earlier, seven agreements were inked on Friday, he said. "In January 2023, we announced a policy to customise incentives for mega investors. Today, 7 more firms committed to create 6,500 jobs through Rs 2,000 cr of investment," Sarma said. In last 14 months, through this policy, Assam has secured investments of Rs 13,364 crore and 17,700 jobs, the chief minister said. Among the companies that have entered into MoUs so far are PepsiCo India, Star Cement

Assam govt hikes DA by 4% for employees, pensioners, says CM Himanta

The Assam government has decided to hike the dearness allowance by 4 per cent for its employees and pensioners on the occasion of Rongali Bihu in April, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. The increase in DA will be effective from January 1, and the arrears of the first three months will be paid in instalments in May, June and July respectively, Sarma said at a press conference here. The DA hike will benefit around four lakh government employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners, he said. The total DA payable to the employees will now be 50 per cent, and the 4 per cent increase in dearness allowance will involve a financial outlay of around Rs 1,175 crore, Sarma said. The chief minister also announced that to realise the benefit of 'PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana', the state government will invest another Rs 300 crore to offer additional assistance of up to Rs 45,000 to each household. 'High electricity bill is a matter of concern for many but we found that 3,000 urban ...

CAA insignificant in Assam, will have least applicants: CM Himanta

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday claimed that the CAA is completely insignificant in Assam, from where there will be the least number of applications for Indian citizenship. The Ministry of Home Affairs had on Tuesday launched a portal for people eligible to apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019. CAA is completely insignificant in Assam; the state will have the least number of applications on the portal, Sarma told a press conference here. The Union government had on Monday implemented the CAA, notifying the rules to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Sarma said the act is very clear that the cut-off date for application of citizenship is December 31, 2014, and in Assam, with the updation of the National Register of Citizens, people who applied for it and did not find their names in that list, will only apply for CAA. The CM

Will resign if anyone who has not applied for NRC gets citizenship: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that he will be the first to resign if one person, who has not applied for National Register of Citizens (NRC), gets citizenship. His comment comes after protests erupted across Assam with opposition parties flaying the BJP government at the Centre for implementing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on Monday, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. 'I am a son of Assam and if a single person who has not applied for NRC gets citizenship, I will be the first to resign', the chief minister said on the sidelines of a programme at Sivasagar. The protesters are claiming that lakhs of people will enter the state after the implementation of the CAA. 'If this happens, I will be the first to protest," he said. There is nothing new about the CAA as it was enacted earlier, the chief minister said, adding that 'now the time has come for

CM Sarma unveils infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,700 crore in Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched various infrastructure development projects worth nearly Rs 1,700 crore in Sonitpur and Baksa districts, including a 50-MW solar power plant. Unveiling the projects as part of the ongoing 'Vikas Yatra', Sarma said these will improve the entire region's education, health and energy infrastructure. In Sonitpur, he dedicated various welfare projects to the tune of Rs 1,370 crore, and in Baksa, the amount was Rs 308 crore. Sarma laid the foundation of the 50-MW solar plant in Sonitpur, to be developed at an investment of Rs 300 crore. The plant, spread over an area of 864 bighas (nearly 286 acres), will come up at Barchalla. "With this, just in the last seven days, Assam has laid the groundwork of generating 130 MW of solar power. To make the state a green energy hub, we aim to produce 3,000 MW of 'Surya Shakti' by 2028," Sarma said. The chief minister also inaugurated the state government's first model residential school in

Highlights: Interest rate on small savings scheme to remain unchanged

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Women focal point of all governance initiatives: Assam CM Himanta Biswa

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the focal point of all initiatives of his government is women. On #InternationalWomensDay, celebrating the women of Assam; courageous, enterprising, resilient and changemakers. We are committed to ensure that each women in the State gets a fair opportunity to grow as the focal point of all our governance initiatives are women! the CM said on X. In another post, Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing cooking gas cylinder prices by Rs 100. With the earlier cut of ?200 & latest cut of ?100 on LPG cylinders, our mothers and sisters can now significantly save and put this money to better use. On behalf of entire #ModiParivarAssam, I sincerely thank Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, for this bold decision, he added. Announcing the price cut on the occasion of International Women's Day on Friday, the PM said it will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, ...

NDA will win 22 of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Northeast: Assam CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asserted that the ruling BJP-led alliance will win 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Northeast in the upcoming elections. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said only three of the 14 seats in Assam are "uncertain at the moment". "The NDA will win 22 of the 25 seats in the Northeast. Barring Assam, we hope to win all seats in other states of the region," he added. The convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional arm of the NDA, asserted that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are "simple elections" for the ruling front and it will win the polls without any difficulty. "This time, development is the only issue. Enormous works have been done to improve the overall infrastructure of the region," he added.

PM to inaugurate, lay foundation of projects worth Rs 18,000 cr: Assam CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation of projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore during his two-day tour of Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Addressing a press meet here, Sarma said that Modi will, for the first time, visit UNESCO heritage site Kaziranga National Park and undertake a safari. Modi will arrive in Assam on Friday late afternoon and will spend the night at Kaziranga National Park, he added. "The next day, he will inaugurate the 125-foot tall statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan in Jorhat, following which he will address a public meeting," Sarma said. From the venue of the public meeting, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation of various infrastructure development projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore, he added. After the function, he will leave for West Bengal, Sarma added.

Assam CM launches country's largest PM Gramin Awas Yojana in Dibrugarh

The CM launched Rs745 crores of developmental projects in Dibrugarh and inaugurated 46 projects in Lakhimpur worth Rs807 crores on Wednesday as a part of the Vikas Yatra

CID summons Assam Cong Chief Borah in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra clash case

Debabrata Saikia said that he had received the notice from the CID under section 41A of the CrPC

2023 most successful year for anti-drugs operations in Assam: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said 2023 was the most successful year for the state in terms of anti-drugs operations. The chief minister said drugs worth Rs 718 crore were seized over 4,700 arrests made during the period. "The Modi government is deploying a whole-of-government approach to build a #DrugsFreeBharat," Sarma wrote on X. "In 2023, Assam Police seized drugs worth Rs 718 cr and arrested over 4,700 drug traffickers making it the most successful year for anti-drugs operations in the state," he added. Sarma also shared a video on the various steps being taken by the central government in the war on drugs. Meanwhile, two persons were arrested and 500 grams of heroin was recovered from their possession in Guwahati, Sarma said in another post on X. The operation was carried out by the special task force of state police. Two persons were apprehended by the STF after a hot pursuit in Guwahati, Sarma said. "... Search and seizure were conducted on their p

Assam CM tells CAA protestors to approach SC for grievance redressal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged those opposed to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to approach the Supreme Court for redressal of their grievance rather than taking up agitations. While voicing his support for the Act, Sarma said many are opposed to it and there is a need to accommodate both points of view. "In Assam, there are two sections of people, some support the CAA and I am one of them, and there are many who oppose it," Sarma said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. "We have to accommodate both points of view. We don't have to criticize somebody for opposing or supporting it," he added. Citing the example of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act, the CM said, "A large section of people was opposed to it. It got scrapped by the Supreme Court and not by any agitation." Urging those opposed to CAA to seek legal recourse, he said, "It was already taken to the Supreme Court but was not listed as rules