Page 20 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

It will help if Assam CM 'did not poke his nose into Manipur': Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his remarks that the situation in Manipur will improve within 7 to 10 days, saying it would help if the BJP leader does not "poke his nose" into Manipur's conflict and stayed away. The former home minister also asserted that it would help if Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned as the CM and President's Rule was imposed in the northeastern state for a few months. Sarma on Saturday said the situation in neighbouring Manipur will improve within 7-10 days, with the state and central governments working "silently" to restore peace. He had hit out at the Congress and alleged that the opposition party is showing its concern when "relative peace has come in the northeastern state". More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur since clashes first started on May 3. In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "CM, Assam h

Situation in neighbouring Manipur will improve within 7-10 days: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the situation in neighbouring Manipur will improve within 7-10 days, with the state and central governments working silently' to restore peace. He hit out at the Congress and alleged that the opposition party is showing its concern when "relative peace has come in the northeastern state." More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur since clashes first started on May 3. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here, the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor said, The situation in Manipur is improving day by day. I am of the view that in the next one week to 10 days, there will be more improvement. Sarma claimed there has been a lot of improvement in the neighbouring state in the last month. Silently, the Manipur government and the Union home ministry are working. You can see what was the level of violence a month ago and what it

Manipur doesn't need visit by leaders to exacerbate fault lines: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the situation in Manipur demands bridging differences through compassion and not a visit by a political leader to exacerbate the fault lines, in an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's daylong trip to the ethnic strife-torn state. Sarma, who is also the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the NDA's northeast chapter, said Gandhi's visit to Manipur is nothing but media hype and at this point, no one should try to take political mileage from the northeastern state's "tragic" situation. "Situation in Manipur demands bridging differences through compassion. It's not in the nation's interest for a political leader to use his so-called visit to exacerbate fault lines. Both the communities of the state have clearly rejected such attempts," Sarma said in a tweet. Talking to reporters, Sarma said the state and central governments are handling the Manipur situation and such daylong visits, such as ...

Assam CM issues advisory to DCs listing guidelines followed during visit

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has issued an advisory to all Deputy Commissioners listing simple programme details to be followed during his official visits to the districts. The advisory states that felicitation of the chief minister with gamocha/flower bouquet must be strictly avoided and no gift item should be offered to him. The lamp may be lit by the organiser before the start of the function which may continue to be lit throughout the meeting. There was no need for an extended vote of thanks other than that by the anchor. In the case of the chief minister's overnight stay, the next morning's programme should start with the planting of a commercial tree. Tea must be served in earthen cups (kulhads) and water should be kept in glass bottles/jugs instead of single-use plastic bottles, the advisory stated. The lunch and dinner menu should always be a simple vegetarian meal with an Assamese/local tribal menu. The advisory has been issued as the chief minister desires

Technology can bridge geographical barriers in healthcare sector: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday stressed the role of technology in bridging geographical barriers for delivering healthcare services to people in remote areas. He urged the medical community to take advantage of technological solutions for meeting the requirements of their patients. Sarma was speaking at a programme to mark the launch of six new projects in the healthcare sector in the state. "In a country like India with its large geographical expanse, it is not possible to have hospitals in all remote places or hamlets. We are trying to deliver healthcare at the doorsteps of the citizens. But in the meantime, technology is the only solution," he said. "I urge the medical community to take advantage of technology in reaching out to their patients," the chief minister added. He maintained that "geographical remoteness and lack of motivation" were major reasons for hospitals and doctors in certain parts of the state not performing according to their capability.

Constantly monitoring situation: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Assam floods

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that Home Minister Amit Shah called him to inquire about the flood situation in the state and assured him of full support

Home Minister Shah speaks to Assam CM over flood situation, assures help

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and assured him of all possible Central help to deal with the flood situation in the state. Shah also said that the Modi government stands firm as it has always been with the people of Assam in these difficult times. Due to heavy rain, the people in parts of Assam are braving a flood-like situation. I have spoken to CM Shri @himantabiswa Ji and assured all possible assistance. NDRF teams are already on the ground conducting relief and rescue operations and adequate forces are on standby, he tweeted. The flood condition in Assam remained grim on Sunday, with over four lakh people hit by the deluge across nine districts, even though water levels started to recede, an official said. So far, three persons have lost their lives in this year's first wave of flood in different parts of the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) official said. According to an ASDMA report, over 4,07,

Congress unleashes war against civilisational values: Himanta attacks Oppn

After senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed the central govt for awarding the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to Uttar Pradesh's Gita Press, Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp attack

Assam flood worsens as incessant rain continues, 34,000 people affected

Assam's flood situation worsened on Friday with incessant rainfall inundating new areas across 11 districts and impacting over 34,000 people. Most of the rivers, including the Brahmaputra, are maintaining a trend of rising water level at different places though none are flowing above the danger mark, according to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Altogether 34,189 people, comprising 14, 675 women and 3,787 children, are reeling under the impact of the deluge. The number of people affected by the flood waters has increased from over 29,000 in three districts on Thursday as the rain continued in the state. Bishwanath, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tamulpur and Udalguri are among the affected districts. Lakhimpur is the worst hit with over 23,516 people suffering from the deluge, followed by Dibrugarh with 3,857, Darrang with 2231, Bishwanath with 2231 and Dhemaji with 1,085. Eleven relief distribution centres with eight in ..

'Views of students, parents would be taken to implement NEP': Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the views of parents and students would be sought for the proper implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the state

Nearly 21,000 people affected by flood in Assam, says official bulletin

Nearly 21,000 people have been affected by flood in Assam, an official bulletin said on Wednesday. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than 20,900 people have been hit due to flooding in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. Over 20,700 people are suffering in Lakhimpur while 160 people have been affected in Dhemaji, it said. Currently, 19 villages have been inundated and crops in over 13.5 hectares of land have been damaged, the bulletin said. However, in other districts including Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dima Hasao, Dibrugarh and Golaghat districts, floodwaters have not entered houses but embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged. The flood was caused after the northeastern state received heavy rainfall over the last few days. No river, however, is flowing above the danger mark as of now, the bulletin said. Meanwhile, Guwahati-based Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said th

Be ready to tackle floods: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tells officials

With the onset of monsoon and the possibility of floods across the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday directed the government machinery to be ready to meet any flood-related eventuality. Monsoon arrived in the northeast, including Assam, on Saturday and the state has been experiencing rainfall over the past couple of days. In a video conference with deputy commissioners (DCs) and other senior officials, Sarma said all government departments, including NHAI, NHIDC, NDRF and SDRF, should remain alert to reach out to the affected people during the natural calamity. The chief minister asked the Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, to take steps for pre-positioning of NDRF and SDRF personnel in vulnerable districts, especially in Dima Hasao. He also asked the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) to activate an early warning system to warn people about potential threats of flood. In the event of flood water ..

Assam govt announces 10 mn sapling planting drive with cash prize

Urging people to participate in the sapling planting drive in large numbers, the Chief Minister announced a cash prize for the initiative

10 mn saplings to be planted on Gandhi Jayanti in Kamrup district: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the people of the state will join hands to plant 100 lakh saplings on Gandhi Jayanti this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced 'Mission Life' to bring about a 'Jan Andolan' (People's movement) which will be at the forefront of the global climate action narrative, the chief minister said while participating in a tree plantation programme 'Amri Plantation' at Chandubi in Kamrup Rural district. The plantation of 100 lakh saplings on October 2 will help mitigate climate change, and expand our tree economy as the state government will offer Rs 300 per sapling and lead to a 38 per cent increase in forest cover by the year 2028, Sarma said. The temperatures have been rising and 'I sympathise with everyone experiencing the scorching heat in the state but we have to take steps to bring back temperatures to optimal level', the chief minister said. 'We will have to take steps to increase the forest cover, phase away ..

Assam govt to procure mustard seeds under price support scheme: Himanta

The Assam government will procure mustard seeds directly from the farmers at a higher rate under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Wednesday. The government has enhanced the minimum support price for mustard seeds to Rs 5,450 per quintal as against the existing market rate of Rs 4500-Rs 4800 per quintal which will bring an additional income of Rs 250 crore to the farmers of the state, Sarma told reporters here. There are currently two procurement centres -- Raha in Nagaon district and Amingaon in Kamrup -- but the state government has decided to also use the 92 existing paddy procurement centres along with the nine centres of agricultural marketing for the purpose, Sarma said. The procurement will be done through the Assam State Agricultural Board and Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation as the state-level agencies and NAFED as the central agency, he said. The procurement period will be from May 29 to August 26 and the bank details

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reallocates portfolios of two ministers

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday reallocated the portfolios of two ministers and took over the department of indigenous and tribal faith and culture, except the directorates of library and museum and archaeology, an official notification said. Jogen Mohan was given the ministry of mines and minerals along with his earlier portfolios of revenue and disaster management and hill areas development. Nandita Gorlosa, who had earlier held the portfolios of mines and minerals and indigenous and tribal faith and culture will now be in charge of power, cooperation, sports and youth welfare department, the notification said. She will also continue to hold charge of the directorate of archaeology which is under the indigenous and tribal faith and culture portfolio, it said. The portfolios of the other members of Sarma's ministry remain unaltered, it added. Besides Sarma, there are 15 members in the cabinet.

PM Modi's focus on northeast has nothing to do with elections: CM Himanta

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on the North East and according to priority to the region during his nine years in office has nothing to do with electoral politics, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Monday. The focus has brought in an unprecedented development in the region, where massive investments have taken place under Modi, Sarma said at an interaction with senior journalists. The prime minister's connection with the North East is emotional and he has termed the region as 'Asta Lakshmi', Sarma said at the interaction held to mark the nine years of BJP-led government headed by Modi at the Centre. There are eight states in the region, including Sikkim. ' 'This is the best of times for the North East. If we constructively engage with the central government, all the states will march ahead in growth and development', the chief minister said. ' 'As far as electoral politics is concerned, North East is not very attractive as many states have only one or t

Assam, Meghalaya CMs scheduled to meet today to discuss border disputes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma are scheduled to meet here on Wednesday to hold further discussions on resolving border disputes between the two states in six remaining areas. The chief ministers of both the states are also likely to visit the disputed areas later as a goodwill gesture, officials said. Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 and it had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 areas of the 884.9 km long border between the two states. Sarma on assuming the Chief Minister's office in May, 2021 had announced that his priority was to resolve long-standing boundary disputes with neighbouring states. Subsequently, three regional Committees were set up in August 2021 to resolve the issues in a phased manner. The regional committees submitted their recommendations which were handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi by the two chief ministers, followed

AFSPA to be completely withdrawn from Assam this year: CM Himanta Sarma

"In such a situation, Assam Police battalions would be empowered to replace Central Armed Police Forces other than the number of CAPFs whose presence is mandatory in the state as per law," he said

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