Page 6 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

'Who else will know fragrance of tea better than a chaiwala': PM in Assam

PM Modi today praised the Kaziranga National Park and claimed that he is the first ever Prime Minister of India who stopped at Kaziranga

State to have $143 bn economy by 2030: CM Himanta at Advantage Assam 2.0

Assam will have a USD 143 billion economy by 2030, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday, urging investors to join the state's growth trajectory. Speaking at the inaugural function of the two-day 'Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit' here, Sarma emphasised that the state has emerged from being the "most disturbed" to the "most peaceful" now. "The state's GDP growth this year will be 15.2 per cent. The economy will reach USD 143 billion by 2030," he claimed. "I can assure you today that we will ensure the best working and congenial atmosphere for establishing industries in Assam. Please come and invest here," Sarma said, in the presence of heads of missions and ambassadors of over 60 nations, foreign business delegations and industry leaders of the country. The state has seen a resurgence since 2014, when the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre, he said. "After Independence, Assam's economy started t

PM Modi to inaugurate, address two-day Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit on Tuesday in the presence of industry captains and business delegations from foreign countries, officials said. Assam Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will also be present on the occasion. The prime minister will address the inaugural session of the two-day summit after prominent industrialists of the country and the state deliver their speeches. The industry captains scheduled to be present in the programme are Reliance Industries Limited's Mukesh Ambani, Adani Groups' Gautam Adani, JSW Group's Sajjan Jindal, Essar's Prashant Ruia, Vedanta's Anil Agrawal, among others. Ambassadors of 61 countries will also be present on the occasion along with representatives of high-level business delegations from partner countries such as Bhutan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. Union ministers S Jaishankar and ...

PM Modi to arrive in state today, inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0 on Feb 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive here on Monday evening on a two-day visit to Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The prime minister on his arrival will drive to the Sarusajai Sports Complex where he will witness 'Jhumoir Binanandini', a dance performance by nearly 9,000 artistes of the tea tribe community. Modi will make a round inside the stadium on a special vehicle and greet the artistes and spectators. The Jhumur performance will be followed by a laser show on a specific cultural theme of the state. The prime minister will then proceed towards the venue of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Infrastructure and Investment Summit to inaugurate the exhibitions being held in two galleries at the Veterinary College Field in the Khanapara area of the city. The two galleries will have on display exhibits highlighting the traditional industries of the state, titled 'Pride of Assam', and the other gallery will reflect the modern industries and infrastructure ...

Jaishankar, envoys of various nations arrive for Advantage Assam 2.0

The Assam Government is organising the second edition of Advantage Assam, which is scheduled to commence on February 25 at Khanapara Veterinary College field in Guwahati

Investment proposals worth Rs 40k cr received in 3-and-half yrs: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that investment proposals worth Rs 40,000 crore have been received in the state in the last three-and-half-years, with many of these projects in various stages of implementation at present. He was speaking at the inauguration of a new bottling plant of Reliance Consumer Products Ltd's (RCPL) Campa Cola range here. Spanning over 6 lakh sq ft, the plant, being developed in collaboration with RCPL's local partner Jericho, is among the largest beverage manufacturing units in the Northeast. It has an initial production capacity of over 10 crore litres for carbonated soft drinks (CSD) and nearly 18 crore litres for packaged drinking water. Highlighting that the facility will provide 300 direct and 1,000 indirect employment opportunities, Sarma said, "Our youth who were working outside due to lack of industrialisation in the state can now return with such plants coming up." He said MoUs proposing investment of Rs 40,000 crore have

Assam: Opposition slams govt over attack on Cong MP Rakibul Hussain

A day after Congress MP Rakibul Hussain and his PSOs were attacked by unidentified persons in Assam's Nagaon district, the party on Friday slammed the state government and said it was "murder of democracy" and it will not allow "jungle raj and goonda raj" to prevail here. The Congress MLAs staged a protest march in the Assam Assembly complex holding placards and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. "The police did not make proper security arrangements despite having prior information. That area had witnessed similar violence earlier also. This was murder of democracy and an attempt to demoralise the Congress workers," Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia told reporters. The Assam government in a way tried to prevent the movement of the people's representatives so that no public opinion could be created on the ground, he alleged. "The CM's statement that he would give additional security when Rakibul Hussain visits Samaguri and Rupahihat next time was very insensitive. He

Himanta creating ISI-link controversy in fear of losing 2026 polls: Gogoi

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is afraid he will lose his post and will have to face justice from the people of the state after the 2026 assembly elections. On Monday, the Assam government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a case against Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh for his social media comments on India's internal affairs. Sarma had alleged that Gogoi's wife Elizabeth Gogoi had worked with Sheikh in Pakistan. "The BJP government in Assam can conduct their enquiry. Every Assamese person knows the real reason behind recent developments. Himanta Biswa Sarma is afraid that he will lose his chair and will have to face justice from the people of Assam after the 2026 assembly elections," Gogoi said in a post on X. He alleged at a press conference on Monday that Sarma had been changing his stance every day. "(But) we are clear from the first day and know where we stand. Earlier, the chief minister h

Foreign links, blackmail & conspiracy? Himanta targets Gaurav Gogoi's wife

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's wife may be part of a larger 'anti-India' conspiracy, alleging foreign links and blackmail

Cong asks Assam CM's info source on allegations against Gaurav Gogoi's wife

Congress leader Rashid Alvi further stated that the level of politics should not stoop so 'low' and there was a limit to everything

BJP, Assam CM launching smear campaign against Gogoi: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of indulging in an "atrocious smear campaign" and "character assassination" against Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, adding that legal action is being initiated in the matter. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said this is being done as Gogoi won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat and is exposing the Assam chief minister's corruption. "The Assam CM and the BJP have begun an atrocious smear campaign targeting my colleague Gaurav Gogoi. This is character assassination of the worst type. Legal action is being initiated right away," Ramesh said in a post on X. "The smear campaign is because Gaurav Gogoi won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in June 2024 in spite of the Assam CM and other ministers camping in Jorhat and campaigning against him. It is also because the Jorhat MP has been in the forefront, revealing the blatant corruption and blackdeeds of the Assam CM," he said. Ramesh added, "the Assa

Assam govt to move court against Gogoi's wife's 'links' with Pak: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday welcomed Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's planned legal action over the controversy surrounding his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, and said the state government is also initiating legal proceedings. Responding to a post by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Sarma reminded the opposition of its electoral losses, saying, "I wholeheartedly welcome legal action against me. In fact, the government of Assam is also initiating legal proceedings from today." Gogoi on Friday accused the BJP of attempting to defame him and his family, asserting that he would take appropriate legal steps. On Saturday, he penned a letter in Assamese addressed to his wife, which he shared on Facebook, assuring her that "truth shall prevail." "...as long as we hold office, we are bound by our oath to protect the nation's security. Therefore, I also advise the concerned MP to move court at the earliest so that at the very least, this issue can be discussed on

NDA committed to empower Bodo community, fulfil their aspirations: PM Modi

His remarks came after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a historic one-day assembly session in Kokrajhar, the heart of the Bodoland agitation, on February 17

Travel advisory against Assam by foreign govts a hurdle to investment: CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that travel advisory against the northeastern region by several countries is a major challenge in attracting investments, even as the state gears up for a mega business summit here later this month. Sarma said he has requested the countries to view Assam in isolation and not club all the North Eastern states together. He said talks are already underway with Japan, Australia and other nations to persuade them to withdraw the adverse advisory as the local government is pushing for viewing Assam "in isolation" from the other states of the region. Addressing a press conference in the run-up to Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit', Sarma said, Most embassies have marked Assam in grey' and have a statutory warning for its citizens against visiting Assam, as the state is clubbed together as North East'. Removing these advisories is topmost priority for us. He said countries like Japan and Australia are being ..

Himanta questions Gaurav Gogoi, wife's ties with Pakistani advisor

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma continued to question Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's British wife Elizabeth Colburn's links with Pakistan, alleging on Saturday that the "network is now emerging as far more significant and deeply entrenched than initially thought". He shared screenshots of old posts on X by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an advisor of the Pakistan Planning Commission and a former colleague of Colburn, and claimed that the relationship between the Gogois and the Pakistani national appeared to be deeply rooted'. Sarma had also targeted the Jorhat MP over the issue, demanding answers from Gogoi over the allegations of ISI links, "leading young individuals to the Pakistan embassy for brainwashing and radicalisation, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years", referring to Colburn's nationality status. He had also alleged that Gogoi had raised questions in Parliament on sensitive defence matters after his marriage to the British citizen, a charge termed b

Assam Budget session to commence on Feb 17, will unite people: Dy speaker

Numal Momin further mentioned that several important bills are likely to be introduced in the session

Assam CM accuses Gaurav Gogoi of defence queries after marrying a Briton

Himanta Biswa Sarma's remarks came a day after BJP's national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Gogoi's wife of having links with Pakistan's ISI

Assam CM welcomes Union Budget 2025, hails tax relief for middle class

CM Sarma expressed gratitude for the income tax exemption for individuals earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually, calling it a 'huge relief'

Dibrugarh to become Assam's second capital in 3 years: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the district headquarters of Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of the state within the next three years. Unfurling the national flag here on the occasion of Republic Day, Sarma said the government will construct a permanent building of the assembly in this city on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in Upper Assam. "Today is an important day in Dibrugarh's journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city," he said. From 2027, one session of Assam assembly will take place in Dibrugarh every year, the CM announced. "From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India," he said. As part of the government's urbanisation plan, Tezpur and Silchar will also be developed along with Dibrugarh, Sarma said. "Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh to be developed as second capital of Assam, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the district headquarters of Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of the state within the next three years. Unfurling the national flag on the occasion of Republic Day, Sarma said the government will construct a permanent building of Assam assembly in this city on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in Upper Assam. "Today is an important day in Dibrugarh's journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city," he said. From 2027, one session of Assam assembly will take place in Dibrugarh every year, the CM announced. "From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India," he said. As part of the government's urbanisation plan, Tezpur and Silchar will also be developed along with Dibrugarh in the coming period, Sarma