Page 4 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam govt, not Adani acquiring land near Guwahati airport: Himanta

The Assam government has initiated the process of acquiring around 500 bighas (around 166 acres) near Guwahati airport to construct a stadium for concerts and a convention centre, but a section of media outlets is wrongfully claiming that the Adani group is acquiring it, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here. The government aims to secure land from genuine investors who want to sell their land, and residents will not be evicted, Sarma assured at a press conference. 'This move has been initiated by the state government to safeguard the land for the people of Assam, and we plan to take up three specific projects in the area,' he said. These include a state-of-the-art stadium to promote Assam's concert economy, a convention centre on the lines of the Bharat Mandapam and an entertainment zone or amusement park on the lines of Universal Studios, but not on such a big scale, he added. 'All these projects will be fully planned and implemented by the state government and not by any

Assam CM meets PM Modi, briefs him about state's welfare schemes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the progress made in various socio-economic indicators and welfare schemes in the state. "Had the privilege of calling upon Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in New Delhi today", the Chief Minister posted on 'X'. "Briefed him on Assam's notable strides across socio-economic indicators and the near saturation of major welfare schemes", he added. Sarma said he also conveyed "on behalf of the people of Assam, our anticipation to welcome him on 8th September a moment that will mark another milestone in our state's development journey". The PM is scheduled to visit Assam on September 8 to inaugurate the year-long celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary and dedicate the nation's first bio-ethanol plant at Numaligarh in Golaghat district.

Assam's Muslim population will match Hindus by 2041, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday claimed that the population of Muslims in Assam will be almost equal to that of the Hindus by 2041 if the current growth rate is maintained. Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma claimed that out of around 34 per cent Muslims as per the 2011 Census, 31 per cent were those who had migrated to Assam earlier. When asked if Assamese indigenous people will become a minority after some years, he said, "This is not my take, it is just the Census result. Today as per the 2011 Census, 34 per cent of the population is Muslim." Out of the total Muslim population of the state, three per cent are indigenous Assamese Muslims, Sarma stated. "...then the 31 per cent are the Muslims who had migrated to Assam. And if you project that for 2021, 2031 and 2041, you will come to almost a 50:50 position. I am just stating what the statistical census report says," he claimed. The CM said that empirical data and past census

China constructing dam on Brahmaputra not immediate concern, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tried to alleviate fears on China's move to construct the world's largest dam on Brahmaputra and said he does not foresee any immediate cause of worry as the river gets most of its waters from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Sarma said the exact impact of the massive dam, the construction of which began last week, is not properly known as different theories are being floated, and hoped that the Centre must be in touch with China on the matter. China on Saturday formally started the construction of a USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh. "I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source (of water)," Sarma told reporters here. When asked about the possible downstream impact of the dam on Assam, he said it is not yet known whether it will be good

Assam BJP holds two-day meet to plan 2026 Assembly poll strategy

With an eye on next year's assembly elections, leaders of the ruling BJP in Assam brainstormed over two days, drawing up organisational strategies and a roadmap. The discussions held in the meeting will be the basis for the party leadership to take forward its preparations for the polls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. "A two-day @BJP4Assam organisational meeting was held in the esteemed presence of Hon'ble CM Dr. @himantabiswa & BJP National General Secretary (Org) Shri @blsanthosh ji," state BJP president Dilip Saikia posted on X on Sunday after the end of the meeting, which was held at a resort in Sonapur on the outskirts of Guwahati. Key discussions included the state's political scenario, organisational strategies and roadmap for the 2026 assembly polls, he added. Sarma, talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme later, said, "The meeting focused on preparation for the assembly polls, manifesto preparation, candidate selection, campaign strategy, and ...

Assam to reach 10 lakh litre milk processing capacity in 3 years: CM Sarma

The Assam CM announced that the NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) and the state government are jointly working to set up new processing units in Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and other locations

PM Modi to visit Assam on September 8, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

CM Sarma said, 'On September 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam and he will attend three government programmes'

Kharge slams Assam govt, promises relief for evicted families if Cong wins

The Congress president also warned that the BJP could use voter list revisions and delimitation to undermine the Congress ahead of next year's Assembly elections

'Invasion by people of one religion' altering demography: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday that the indigenous communities of the state are facing "invasion" from people of "one religion", who are allegedly encroaching on land in different parts to alter the demography of those areas. He said the government's eviction drives, through which over 1.19 lakh bighas have been cleared since 2021, are a major step towards checking this alleged attempt by migrants to gain a political foothold in Assamese-majority areas. The chief minister did not specify who was making this alleged attempt, but most of the evicted people are Bengali-speaking Muslims. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said that it has been found while conducting eviction drives that the encroachers are mostly people with own land in their native districts, and yet they move to settle illegally in distant parts of the state. Forest destruction is one of the issues. These people migrate to change the demography of that place, he claimed. Sarma sai

25,000 acres of land cleared of encroachment in Assam in 4 yrs: CM Himanta

Asserting that eviction drives will continue in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that over 25,000 acres of land have been cleared of encroachment across the state in the last

Himanta Biswa Sarma urges removal of 'secularism, socialism' from Preamble

He said these words were not part of the original Constitution and should be dropped, as secularism goes against the Indian idea of Sarva Dharma Sambhava

Northeast can be national model for sustainable mining: G Kishan Reddy

At a conclave in Guwahati, G Kishan Reddy said the Northeast can lead India's sustainable mining drive as Centre backs real-time enforcement and resource mapping

Litmus test awaits new Congress Prez Gaurav Gogoi ahead of Assam polls

Elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council will test his leadership in Assam

Over 5K social media accounts from Islamic nations back Assam Cong: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday alleged that over 5,000 social media accounts, mostly operated from Islamic countries, have become active in favour of the Assam Congress. Addressing a press conference, Sarma claimed that these accountsoriginating from 47 countries, with the highest numbers from Bangladesh and Pakistanhave been focusing exclusively on the activities of a particular Assam Congress leader and the party's state unit pages over the past month. "It is surprising that they do not comment on or like posts by Rahul Gandhi or even the Indian National Congress. They are only focused on a particular leader and the Assam Congress," Sarma said. Besides Assam, they post Islamic fundamentalist content, including pro-Palestine, Iran and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Prof Md Yunus. Though the CM did not name the leader, he appeared to be referring to Gaurav Gogoi, who was appointed Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president in May last week. Sarma remarked, "We are

ONGC to permanently cap leaking oil well in Assam's Sivasagar: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will begin permanently capping the crude oil well in Sivasagar district that has been leaking gas for the past nine days. Speaking at a press conference, Sarma said ONGC had already implemented two emergency measures without success. "There are usually four emergency methods that ONGC and Oil India Limited (OIL) apply to check such leakages. ONGC has already implemented Plan A and Plan B without any success," he said. The energy major will now apply Plan C, which will cap the entire well permanently, and for this, US experts will reach Sivasagar by this evening, he said. 'Capping of the well will begin tomorrow and will be carried out in consultation with the US experts. It is expected to be completed within the next four or five days', he added. After exploring multiple approaches with great effort and precision, ONGC is now advancing with a more practical and safer strategy to cap the

Another 'anti-national' held in Assam, total 94 since Pahalgam attack

One more person has been apprehended for allegedly making "pro-Pakistan and communal posts" on social media, taking the total number of such arrests to 94 so far in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The person was arrested in Nalbari after constant monitoring, he said. "Crackdown on Anti-national elements continue. @KamrupPolice arrested Safiqul Haque, who was using different SIMs to use Facebook to post pro-Pakistan and communal posts," the chief minister wrote on 'X' on Wednesday. Sarma had earlier said the 'state-wide crackdown on traitors would continue and nobody would be spared. The police have launched action against those people who were allegedly indulging in 'anti-India and pro-Pakistan activities'. The chief minister had also said that the National Security Act (NSA) will be clamped on certain people arrested in such cases, but not on all. Opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on sedition charges for alle

Assam govt to intensify drive to identify illegal foreigners: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state government would enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners. He claimed that the law empowers the district commissioners to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. Speaking during a special day-long Assembly session, he alleged that Congress does not value 'citizenship', as out of four family members of one of its leaders, three are foreigners. It was an apparent jibe at the opposition party's state president Gaurav Gogoi, who was seated at the visitors gallery of the Assembly in front of the treasury bench, whom the chief minister had been targeting for his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife. Sarma, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose. It allows the district commissioner to declare illegal foreigners and evict them. S

PM Modi speaks to Northeast leaders on floods, assures full support

Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang also shared a post on X, thanking PM Modi for his concern about the flood and landslide situation in the state

CM Himanta vows rapid action to identify, deport foreign nationals in Assam

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the process to detect and deport declared foreigners will be fast-tracked, with legal steps taken against those not appealing in higher courts

Assam approves arms licences for indigenous people near Bangladesh border

Assam approves arms licences for indigenous people in vulnerable border areas near Bangladesh. CM clarifies the policy won't apply to inter-state borders. Opposition raises safety concerns