Page 17 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

CM Shinde consents to Kamakhya temple proposal in Maha: Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde has given consent to a proposal for providing land for the construction of a Kamakhya temple in the western state. While interacting with a group of visiting journalists from Maharashtra recently, Sarma said he plans to build a Namghar, a place of worship for Vaishnavites, along with the temple. "We want to build a good Kamakhya temple in Maharashtra. I have already spoken to (Eknath) Shinde. Maharashtra CM is a big devotee of Maa Kamakhya," he said in a video of the meeting shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. The Kamakhya temple atop the Neelachal hill on the bank of the Brahmaputra river is one of the biggest and oldest Shakti Peeths in the country. This temple of Goddess Kamakhya is an important pilgrimage centre for tantric worshippers and Hindus. When Shinde had visited Assam last time, Sarma requested him to provide land to construct a Kamakhya temple and Namghar in Maharasht

Cong fulfilling Jinnah's vision: Himanta on Telangana minority declaration'

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday lashed out at the Congress for its minority declaration' in poll-bound Telangana, claiming that the party is fulfilling the vision of Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim League. In an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him, the BJP leader alleged that those who have appropriated the Gandhi surname have revived the policies of Jinnah. The Congress' Minority Declaration released on Thursday said that if the party comes to power in Telangana, it would ensure fair reservation for all backward classes including, minorities in jobs, education and government schemes. In a series of posts of X, Sarma wrote: In my long political career I could have never imagined that Cong will stoop so low in their attempt to capture the vote bank of one religion. By coming up with religion specific manifestos, Cong is fulfilling the vision of Mohammed Ali Jinnah's Muslim League. Sharing a screenshot of Telangana Pradesh Congress

Congress and AIUDF have relationship of votes with Muslims: Himanta

The Congress and AIUDF have a "relationship of votes" with the Muslim community in Assam and over the years votes have been sought from them by creating an "atmosphere of fear", Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Saturday. Both the parties have a relationship with the Muslims of migrant origin till they get the votes but they have not taken any steps for their development or in the areas where they live, Sarma said at a press conference here. They have not constructed any roads, bridges, schools, colleges for them, he said. 'As a first step, we have taken measures to improve the living conditions of the indigenous Assamese Muslims and a survey will be soon conducted on them', he said. For the remaining Muslims (migrants) also the state government has taken steps to stop child marriage and madrasa education along with setting up new schools, colleges and health institutions, bridges to improve communication and electrification, the CM said. 'We are working for this sec

Himanta defends speech against Md Akbar; says Cong withheld info from EC

Notwithstanding the show-cause notice by the Election Commission for his alleged "communally charged statements", Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday defended his speech and said it was a "legitimate criticism" of Chhattisgarh Minister Mohammed Akbar. The Election Commission on Thursday slapped a show-cause notice to Sarma for prima facie violation of the Model Code of Conduct and asked him to respond by October 30 evening. "Congress has withheld the material information from the Hon'ble Election Commission that Mohammed Akbar is their candidate from Kawardha Constituency. Therefore legitimate criticism of a candidate does not amount to communal politics," Sarma said in a post on X. The senior BJP leader asserted that the Congress will have to face the legal consequence of not revealing the crucial fact in their representation. "I have full faith in the collection (sic) wisdom of the Hon'ble Election Commission," he added. The Assam chief minister was reacting to a

Poor illiterate fellow: Sarma slams Rahul over dynasty politics' remark

Earlier on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over dynasty politics and said "What is exactly the son of Amit Shah doing?"

No additional tax imposed for implementing welfare schemes: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that his government has not imposed any additional taxes on the people for implementing various welfare schemes. He maintained that the state government was able to carry out the welfare activities due to the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was speaking at a programme where beneficiaries of the 'Orunodoi 2.0' scheme were handed their cards. Under the scheme, economically weak families receive Rs 1,250 in the bank account of the woman member every month to meet various household expenses. Under 'Orunodoi 2.0', around 7 lakh new names will be added to the list of beneficiaries, taking the total to 26 lakh. Over 25,000 new beneficiaries of Jorhat district received their cards at the programme. Taking on opposition parties for criticising the government for creating 'beneficiaries' through its various schemes, Sarma said, "As the chief minister, I will, of course, look to create 'hitadhikaris' (beneficiaries). "Thes

Closely monitoring situation: Assam CM on North East Express derailment

At least four passengers died and another 50 were injured after 21 coaches of the North East Express train derailed near Raghunathpur station in Buxar district, an official said earlier

Assam govt issues Rs 47 cr grant to surrendered cadres of Adivasi militants

Chief Minister Dr Sarma exuded confidence the former rebels would achieve self-reliance by making the best use of the financial grants being provided to them

Assam govt to conduct socio-economic assessment of Muslim communities

The Assam government on Tuesday said that it will conduct a socio-economic survey of the state's five indigenous Muslim communities so that measures can be taken for their upliftment. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat regarding it. "In a meeting held at Janata Bhawan, HCM Dr @himantabiswa directed the officials concerned to carry out a socio-economic assessment of Assam's Indigenous Muslim communities (Goria, Moria, Deshi, Syed & Jolha)," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) posted on X. The findings of the assessment will guide the state government to take suitable measures, aimed at comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment of the indigenous minorities, it said. The development comes a day after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released findings of its much-awaited caste survey, months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute 63 per cent of the state's total .

Assam govt increases minimum wage of tea garden workers by Rs 18: Sarma

The Assam government has decided to hike the daily minimum wage of tea garden workers by Rs 18, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. During a cabinet meeting chaired by Sarma, the decision was taken to increase the wages in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys with effect from October 1. "The cabinet decided to increase the minimum daily wages of tea garden workers. In Brahmaputra valley, the daily wage has been increased to Rs 250 from Rs 232 with effect from October 1. In Barak valley, the workers will get Rs 228 instead of Rs 210 from now," he said. Briefing the press after the meeting on Monday, Sarma said the government has given instructions to the garden managements to give a 20-per cent bonus for the ensuing Durga Puja. "There will be a 3-per cent reservation in government jobs for tea garden workers and adivasi people with immediate effect. This will be for only the non-creamy layer," he said. The chief minister also said a decision was taken to create Bajali district b

Assam govt hikes minimum wage of tea garden workers by Rs 18: CM Sarma

The Assam government on Monday decided to hike the daily minimum wage of tea garden workers by Rs 18, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. In a cabinet meeting, chaired by Sarma, the decision was taken to hike the wages in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys with effect from October 1. "The cabinet decided to increase the minimum daily wages of tea garden workers. In Brahmaputra valley, the daily wage has been increased to Rs 250 from Rs 232 with effect from October 1. In Barak valley, the workers will get Rs 228 instead of Rs 210 from now. So, Rs 18 will be hiked in both places," he said. Briefing the press after the meeting, Sarma said the government has given instructions to the garden managements to give a 20 per cent bonus for the ensuing Durga Puja. "There will be a 3 per cent reservation in government jobs for tea garden workers and adivasi people with immediate effect. This will be for only non-creamy layer," he added. The chief minister also said that a decision was ta

Himanta rolls out financial aid scheme to help Assam youth set up business

In a move to fuel growth through self-employment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a scheme to help youths set up their own ventures. At a function here, Sarma rolled out the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan 2023. He also launched a registration portal for the scheme. Under the programme, financial aid will be given to two lakh youths for creating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, he added. Speaking on the occasion on Saturday, Sarma said, "The scheme has been designed to create self-employment avenues to enable the youths to fuel development of the state. It has the potential to strengthen rural economy." He said that the unemployed degree holders in the fields of engineering, medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery will be kept in the first category and will be given Rs 5 lakh. "On the other hand, unemployed postgraduates, general graduates, ITI, polytechnic passouts will be kept in the second category for government assistance of Rs 2

Assam CM rolls out financial aid scheme to help youths set up business

In a move to fuel growth through self-employment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday launched a scheme to help youths set up their own ventures. At a function here, Sarma rolled out the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan 2023. He also launched a registration portal for the scheme. Under the programme, financial aid will be given to two lakh youths for creating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said, "The scheme has been designed to create self-employment avenues to enable the youths to fuel development of the state. It has the potential to strengthen rural economy." He said that the unemployed degree holders in the fields of engineering, medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery will be kept in the first category and will be given Rs 5 lakh. "On the other hand, unemployed postgraduates, general graduates, ITI, polytechnic passouts will be kept in the second category for government assistance of Rs 2 lak

Assam CM launches third phase of microfinance loan waiver scheme

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday rolled out the third phase of a scheme to waive microfinance loans availed by women of the state, benefitting over 2.23 lakh borrowers. Under this phase of the Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme 2021 (AMFIRS), borrowers whose loan accounts turned into non-performing assets would be offered an outstanding principal balance of up to Rs 25,000. "With a total relief cost of Rs 291 crore under this category, the state's womenfolk will once again be able to avail fresh loans for their continued prosperity," Sarma said at an official function here. Altogether 2,22,949 borrowers will benefit from this scheme, he said, adding that the lending institutions will waive the accrued interest and penalties for these women and give them 'no due' certificates immediately. Expressing his gratitude towards the microfinance institutions for agreeing to waive around Rs 300 crore in interest income under the category-III relief measures,

Himanta's wife files Rs 10 cr defamation suit against Gaurav Gogoi

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi for "false" allegations of irregularities in a food processing project. Senior advocate Devajit Saikia, her counsel, told PTI that the case has been filed at the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Kamrup Metropolitan on Friday and it will be moved on September 26. "My client has claimed a defamation of Rs 10 crore against Gaurav Gogoi for various tweets on X. We have made it very clear that we never made any application to receive subsidy," he added. Saikia further claimed that the process to seek subsidy has not been initiated at all and for which, a show cause notice was slapped on his client's firm on May 26 this year, followed by an email from the Ministry of Food Processing. "The approval for the project was given on November 22, 2022. In the last email, we were told that our claim would lapse if we didn't submit our proposa

Assam CM Sarma slams Rahul Gandhi, says Congress and traitor single word

Speaking in Jodhpur ahead of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Sarma on Wednesday said, "Rahul Gandhi says that after our got comes to Telangana, we'll add Rs 2500 to the bank accounts of women

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launches campaign to plant 10 mn saplings in Assam

Seeking to set a new world record by planting one crore saplings on Sunday in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Assam government will target planting 8 crore seedlings next year and another 10 crore saplings in 2025. He said the 'Amrit Brikshya Andolan' will increase green cover as well as boost the local economy as commercial trees will mostly be planted during the exercises. "Today, we will be planting one crore saplings in the state and we are looking forward to setting a new world record in this regard," Sarma said, kicking off the drive at the state secretariat in the morning. He said next year the state government will attempt to plant three crore saplings in non-forest areas and another five crore in forest areas, while in 2025, the attempt will be for 5 crore seedlings each in non-forest and forest areas. On apprehension of survival of the saplings, Sarma said that he was hopeful of a good rate as this year's plantation is mostly done by private househo

Seems like Cong has given Northeast to China: Assam CM Sarma slams party

A video shared by the Congress on its official handle on X, formerly Twitter, allegedly showed a distorted map of India, with the entire Northeast region missing

Chaos in Assam assembly over govt subsidy to firm linked to Himanta's wife

Chaos reigned supreme at the Assam assembly on Thursday as opposition MLAs demonstrated, demanding a discussion over the allegation that a company linked to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife got Rs 10 crore as subsidy under a central scheme. The Congress had given an adjournment motion notice to discuss the matter. Speaker Biswajit Daimary, at the end of the Question Hour, rejected the notice stating that it was "not in order" and the issue does not merit an adjournment motion. Refusing to accept the ruling, Congress and CPI(M) MLAs along with Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi stormed into the Well with placards, raising slogans. As the chaos refused to subside, the speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. On Wednesday, Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi claimed in a social media post that the website of the Ministry of Food Processing shows the CM's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma's firm Pride East Entertainments Pvt Ltd has received Rs 10 crore as part of credit credit-li

Himanta Biswa's wife got Rs 10 cr govt subsidy; Assam CM denies Cong charge

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that neither his wife nor the company she is associated with has ever received any financial subsidies from the Centre