Page 23 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam government to soon fulfil 100,000 jobs poll promise: CM Sarma

Sarma said that his government is progressing well in fulfilling its commitment of providing one lakh government jobs to the youth of the state

Situation changed, this time Meghalaya CM will be from BJP: Himanta Biswa

Exuding confidence in BJP's electoral victory in Meghalaya, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the dynamics have changed and BJP will form the next govt in the northeastern state

Several families have cancelled pre-scheduled child marriages: Assam CM

Several pre-planned child marriages have been cancelled in Assam over the last few days in the wake of ongoing police crackdown

2,789 people held so far as crackdown on child marriage continues: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 2,789 people have been arrested so far during the ongoing crackdown on child marriage, which completed a week on Friday. The government has also initiated a process to take measures for the rehabilitation of "victims" of child marriage. Now, total arrest 2789. Crackdown continues, Sarma wrote on Twitter. Though protests at various places by families of those arrested have been reported in the last few days, Assam Police spokesperson Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan had on Thursday said that no such incident took place anywhere in the state during the last 24 hours. The Assam Police had launched the crackdown on child marriage on February 3, with over 2,000 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who officiated these weddings, arrested within the first two days. The arrests are being carried out on the basis of 4,135 FIRs registered across the state. The state government has formed a cabinet sub-committee on the rehabilitation of "victim

Assam Police arrests 1,800 people in a crackdown against child marriage

The Assam Police have arrested over 1,800 people so far on Friday in a massive crackdown on child marriage, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The crackdown began early in the morning across the state and it will continue over the next three to four days, Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. The police had registered 4,004 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight since the state cabinet decided on January 23 to take action, with the arrest of offenders and a simultaneous launch of an extensive awareness campaign. The chief minister said the crackdown was continuing and a clear picture will emerge by evening on the number of arrests and the districts from where those were made. The highest number of 136 arrests so far has been made in Dhubri where 370 cases have been registered, followed by 110 in Barpeta and 100 in Nagaon. Those having married girls below 14 years of age will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO

Assam CM hands over appointment letters of govt jobs to 1,200 people

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday distributed appointment letters to over 1,200 people who got jobs in various government departments. Among the candidates were appointees on compassionate grounds who are family members of police personnel killed in action since 1988. Happy to distribute appointment letters to 1,208 selected candidates for Health & Family Welfare and Home & Political departments at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. With 41,710 appointments so far, we are marching towards our goal of providing 1 lakh Govt jobs, Sarma tweeted later. Speaking at the programme, the chief minister said the government is working overtime to ensure jobs for families of every slain police personnel. Between 1996 to 2005, almost all the communities of the state had an armed outfit, he said. The biggest challenge was from the ULFA and Bodo groups, and many police personnel lost their lives in the line of duty. Initially, their families would receive government jobs on .

Assam BJP to improve its performance in 2024 LS polls, says Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the BJP will improve its performance in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections though he refused to predict the number of seats it is likely to win. The saffron party had bagged nine out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, its best show so far in the northeastern state. Briefing reporters after the party's state executive meeting here, Sarma said, The discussions here were not purely election-centric. But when a discussion is held about strengthening the organisation, the issue of election also comes in. To a question on the party's prospects in the next Lok Sabha polls, the chief minister said, The party will have its own assessment, I will have my own. It (the result) will be better than before. The Lok Sabha election winds haven't even blown yet. It is not good to proceed with a number in mind at this moment, he said when asked for his prediction on the number of seats the BJP will win in the state. Th

Assam to book men under POCSO Act for marrying girls aged less than 14

Sarma also said that police have been ordered to launch a state-wide crackdown against child marriage

Men marrying girls below 14 to be booked under POCSO Act: Assam CM

The Assam Cabinet on Monday decided to book men who marry girls below 14 years in the state under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality and the primary cause is child marriage. The state has an average of 31 per cent marriages in the prohibited age, Sarma said at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting. Men marrying girls in the age group of 14-18, will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and necessary steps will be taken against them under this law, the chief minister said. The police have been directed to conduct a massive crackdown against child marriage across the state, he said. A Child Protection Officer will be appointed in every village and it will be the duty of the Gram Panchayat Secretary to file a complaint against any child marriage taking place in their area, Sarma said.

Northeast getting transformed through mega transportation projects: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that Northeast is witnessing "transformation through transportation" and mega projects regularly inaugurated in the region bear testimony to it. He said that had development work in the Northeast taken place at the current pace since Independence, the region would have already been on the growth trajectory. Sarma was speaking at a programme at Pandu terminal in Guwahati, which was attended virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi. During the function, Modi inaugurated a Maritime Skill Development Centre in Guwahati, which will offer better job opportunities to local youths. He also laid the foundation stone for a ship-repairing facility in Guwahati, which will serve as an alternative to a similar facility in Kolkata, saving fuel and manpower costs for vessel owners and boosting local ancillary industries, besides generating employment. The foundation stone for an elevated road connecting Pandu terminal to Nati

Firms in Assam with over 4 employees asked to install CCTV cameras

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday instructed all business establishments having more than four employees to install CCTV cameras, an official statement said

Assam CM launches Rs 1,776-crore infrastructure projects in Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday laid foundation stone of seven infrastructure projects, including a new Raj Bhavan and Guwahati Police Commissioner's office, worth Rs 1,776 crore in the state capital. Sarma started with the foundation stone laying for a new Raj Bhavan at Kharghuli in presence of Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi. "To be built for Rs 41.32 crore in 18 months, the new Raj Bhavan will be one of most beautiful governor houses in the country," the chief minister tweeted after the ceremony. He also laid the foundation stone for construction of the new Police Commissionerate at Khanapara, Guwahati. "To be completed in 24 months, the Rs 95-crore building will house all departments and branches working under Commissioner of Police, Guwahati and boost police administration in the city," he said. The government will further spend Rs 544.44 crore for redevelopment of Guwahati Police Reserve Campus, Sarma said. "It will also include residential quarters for po

No aid needed from AIUDF, AAMSU to re-design district boundaries: Assam CM

Many political parties and organizations criticized the Assam government for its decision ahead of the Election Commission of India's delimitation process in the state

Assam CM lays foundation stone for Rs 50-cr Jongal Balahu tourist centre

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a tourist centre, named after Tiwa king Jongal Balahu, at an expenditure of Rs 50 crore in Nagaon district. Addressing a public meeting at Raha, Sarma lauded efforts of the Tiwa community for contributing immensely towards enriching Assam's cultural mosaic. After the foundation stone laying ceremony of the centre at Jongal Balahu Rampart, he said the facility will help throw light on the community's role in building an inclusive society. Earlier, the chief minister visited the historic Jongal Balahu Garh at Raha and offered floral tributes to great Tiwa king Jongal Balahu. "The brave warrior, who valiantly fought to safeguard his land and people, will always remain an inspiration for the people of Assam," Sarma said. In recognition of the contribution of the great warrior and the Tiwa community as a whole, the archaeological site at Raha will be transformed into Jongal Balahu ...

Assam on growth trajectory, people must pressure ULFA(I) chief: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Sunday claimed that the state is on growth trajectory and asked the people of Assam to exert "moral pressure" on proscribed ULFA(I) chief Paresh Barua to give up his sovereignty demand. Sarma interacting with media persons here on New Year's day said criteria other than population should be considered for future delimitation exercises and the state police is keeping a strict eye on the involvement of Islamic clerics in 'jihadi' activities. The chief minister said Assam is on the growth trajectory after achieving considerable financial stability during 2022 and for the first time did not ddepend on the Centre for paying its employees' salaries. This has been possible due to increased oil royalty, excise, transport and GST collections. "There has been an increase in tax collection and this symbolises vibrancy in the economy. This has been possible due to the cooperation by the people and different organisations, leading to a new growth ...

2022 saw end of tribal insurgency in Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The year 2022 saw the end of the tribal insurgency in Assam, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday

Protests in Assam against decision to merge 4 districts with existing ones

Protests erupted in Assam after the state cabinet approved the decision to merge four new districts with the existing undivided ones

Assam merges 4 districts with 4 others, changes jurisdiction of villages

The Assam government on Saturday decided to merge four districts with four others and changed the administrative jurisdiction of a few villages, a day before the Election Commission's freeze on redrawing administrative units comes into effect. Announcing this at a press conference here after a meeting of the state cabinet, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the decisions have been taken with a heavy heart keeping in mind the interests of Assam, its society and administrative exigencies. He added it was only "temporary" and did not disclose the reason behind the decision. While Biswanath district will be merged with Sonitpur, Hojai will be merged with Nagaon, Bajali will be merged with Barpeta and Tamulpur will be merged with Baksa, he said. The decisions had to be taken at the cabinet meeting on Saturday as the Election Commission has imposed a ban on creating new administrative units in Assam from January 1, 2023 as the poll panel will undertake the delimitation exercise in th

Assam CM Himanta launches projects worth over Rs 973 cr in Dibrugarh

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday laid the foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 973.38 crore for Dibrugarh district. The CM, attending the last programme of the first phase of 'Bikakhor Babe Eta Pokhek' (a fortnight for development initiatives) at Tingkhong in the district, urged people to take part in an economic revolution to give a fillip to the state's overall development. Assam had "witnessed many agitations, 'dharnas' and 'hartals' over the years but it is the time to concentrate on rejuvenating the intellectual, cultural and developmental landscape" of the state, he said. Outlining plans for the development of Dibrugarh, the CM announced that strengthening and improvement of the river bank of Buridihing at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore will be taken up. The government plans to set up a zoo at Tingkhong in the district and the Ahom ritual of offering obeisance to Me-Dam-Me-Phi will be celebrated at historic Tipam, Sarma said. As part of

A useful man to know

The Chief Minister of Assam might be in the BJP today. But he has skills he learnt at the feet of top Congress leaders like Tarun Gogoi, with whom he worked for many years