REGIONAL

GUWAHATI : Asserting that the assembly election results were an affirmation of the BJP-led NDA’s commitment to work for peace and prosperity of the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said his government will work to make Assam a Rs 10 lakh crore economy by 2028. Speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address in the assembly, Sarma said that tabling the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill proved his government’s commitment to working for the rights of women belonging to the minority community. “The NDA’s number of seats not just reached 102, but the number of votes polled by its candidates also increased by 15 lakh this time. The BJP candidates secured over 81.92 lakh votes, AGP got 14 lakh, and BPF got 8 lakh, with the NDA crossing the 1 crore votes mark in total,” he said. “The NDA swept all Scheduled Tribe reserved seats and tea tribes-dominated ones, while winning all but one seats reserved for the Scheduled Caste,” he added. Sarma said the election results showed people rejected personal attacks and politicisation of singer Zubeen Garg’s death. He said he kept his promise of bringing the UCC bill in the first assembly session. “Tabling of the UCC bill proves our government’s commitment to work for the rights of women belonging to the minority community. I hope the opposition will support it,” he said. Sarma also lauded the decision of several Eidgah committees to refrain from cow sacrifice during Bakri Eid. Referring to the issue of price rise raised by several MLAs during the discussion, the CM said the government was seized of the matter, and measures were being taken to check it. (Source: PTI)  

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday accused the Congress of being anti-women after the party staged a brief walkout in the Assembly during a discussion on a government resolution supporting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures. Sarma claimed that Congress MLAs had received instructions from the party’s central leadership not to remain present in the House when the resolution was adopted. He alleged that the grand old party had surrendered to the anti-women policies of its allies, such as the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), when they stalled the reservation bill from being passed in Parliament. Women and Child Welfare Minister Ajanta Neog on Monday moved the resolution that “in order to honour women’s power and ensure the holistic development and empowerment of women, one-third reservation for women in Parliament and in all legislative Assemblies should be implemented with immediate effect, after completing the process of delimitation”. Congress and Raijor Dal legislators briefly walked out when Sarma began speaking on the resolution, objecting to remarks made against the Congress by BJP MLA Bhuban Pegu during his speech. The Congress members, however, later returned to the House before the resolution was taken up. Participating in the discussion, Sarma said the women’s reservation bill was moved in Parliament several times over the past decades, and though the Congress had been in power, it had not ensured its passage. “Congress would say it supports women’s reservation and table the bill in Parliament. But when its allies SP and RJD created even a little ruckus against it, the Speaker would immediately put off the discussion,” he said. “When the BJP was the main opposition party, we had offered to support the bill, and it would have ensured that it was passed. But the Congress surrendered to the anti-women policy of the SP and the RJD,” the CM claimed. Sarma further claimed that the Congress again stalled reservation for women by not supporting the latest Constitutional amendment bill in April. According to him, the amendment bill would have benefited Assam by not only ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women but also increasing the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in the state. The increase in constituencies would have meant greater representation for indigenous communities, Sarma said.   Criticising the Congress for the walk-out, he said, “I had received information in the morning itself that instructions have come from Delhi to ensure that Congress is not present in the House when the resolution is adopted.” “This stance of the Congress proves that they are anti-women and also do not want Lok Sabha and Assembly seats to increase in the state,” he added. Supporting the resolution, the chief minister said Assam has a legacy of honouring women power, from goddess Kamakhya to Ahom princess Joymoti to freedom fighter Kanaklata, and they have played a pivotal role in the state’s social discourse. He also cited the contribution of the 40 lakh women associated with self-help groups in the state, who are contributing to the economy. The resolution was later adopted by a voice vote. (Source: PTI)      

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state has been witnessing demographic change for a long time, and welcomed the Centre’s announcement of a committee to study the phenomenon across the country. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Centre has constituted a high-level committee under retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar to assess demographic changes across India due to “illegal immigration and other unnatural causes”. Reacting to this, Sarma, in a post on X, said, “Illegal infiltration and unusual demographic change are not merely the concern of any single state but a serious issue linked to India’s national security, cultural identity, and social balance.” The formation of the high-level committee to address this challenge is a “visionary and decisive step”, he added. “Under the proactive leadership of the honorable @AmitShah ji, this committee will study the unusual demographic changes occurring across the country and present concrete solutions. This will further strengthen national security and enable serious addressing of the concerns of border areas,” Sarma said. He said that Assam has been facing the challenge of demographic change for a long time. “This initiative will prove extremely important for protecting our cultural heritage, tribal society, and the rights of indigenous people. We are confident that this committee will play a significant role in securing India’s future,” the CM said. Announcing the committee, Shah said infiltration and other reasons are causing “unnatural” demographic change, which poses a significant challenge to the present and future of any nation. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his Independence Day speech last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a high-powered demographic mission to tackle the problem. Modi had said there was a “pre-meditated conspiracy” to change the country’s demography through illegal infiltration. He had warned that when demographic changes take place, especially in the border areas, they create a national security crisis. (Source: PTI)        

GUWAHATI : The Assam government on Monday tabled a Bill on the Uniform Civil Code, seeking to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships compulsory. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora tabled ‘The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill’ in the assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The opposition parties, including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all the stakeholders before its introduction. “The Bill aims to consolidate and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships,” Sarma said in the ‘Statement of Object and Reasons’ in the Bill. For marriage, the Bill sets 21 years and 18 years as minimum ages for men and women respectively, and prohibits polygamy, he added. “For the first time, Bill provides a legal framework for live-in relationships. By requiring registration, the law ensures that the rights of partners — and any children born from such unions — are formally recognised and protected,” the CM said in the Bill. The Bill, however, said that it will not be applicable to any of the Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Bhutan Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay arrived in Assam on Monday and is expected to meet the governor later in the day. State Cabinet minister Atul Bora received the Bhutan prime minister at the state guest house here and later said that he expected the visit would open new avenues of goodwill, cooperation and cultural exchange between Assam and Bhutan. “I had the honour of according a warm and heartfelt welcome to Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan, His Excellency Dasho Tshering Tobgay, at State Guest House Number One, Koinadhora, Guwahati,” Bora said in a post on X. He said that under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam continues to strengthen its historic ties and friendly relations with neighbouring Bhutan in the spirit of regional cooperation, mutual respect and shared prosperity. “Assam and Bhutan share an age-old relationship rooted in mutual trust, harmony and deep socio-cultural ties. Our enduring friendship has been strengthened over generations through close people-to-people connections, shared traditions and longstanding cooperation across diverse sectors,” Bora said. “I firmly believe that the visit of the prime minister of Bhutan to Assam will further deepen the special bond between Assam and Bhutan, while opening new avenues of goodwill, cooperation and cultural exchange for the greater benefit of our people,” the minister added. Assam police chief Harmeet Singh, General Administration Department secretary Narsing Pawar and other senior officials of the state government also accompanied Bora in receiving the Bhutan prime minister. A Lok Bhavan spokesperson said the visiting dignitary is scheduled to call on Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya later on Monday. A detailed itinerary of Tobgay’s visit has not been shared yet. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Monday raised concern over the fiscal sustainability of the Assam government in its report for the 2024-25 fiscal, pointing at the increasing debt load, high committed expenditure and limited capital investment in the state. In the report on state finances for 2024-25 tabled in the Assembly, the CAG also said that the delay in submission of utilisation certificates, pending accounts of departmental undertakings and autonomous bodies, is affecting financial reporting. It said the state’s economy showed moderate growth during the 2024-25 fiscal year, with Gross State Domestic Product registering a growth of 13.07 per cent as against the 2023-24 financial year. The state contributed 1.95 per cent to the country’s GDP, with the figure on an increasing trend over the past five years. During 2024-25, the state’s revenue receipts grew by 5.87 per cent, driven primarily by growth in the state’s share in union taxes and duties, higher tax collections, notably under SGST. However, non-tax revenue of the state declined by 9.34 per cent, and grants from the Centre also decreased during the period, the CAG report said. The state’s expenditure was dominated by a moderate growth of revenue spending (6.10 per cent). The CAG report said that during the previous five years, despite increasing pressure from committed expenditure, the state was able to maintain a consistent level of fiscal flexibility, though with limited scope for expansion in discretionary and developmental expenditures. Capital expenditure during the previous five years remained “volatile and below budgeted levels (except for 2021-22), reflecting constraints in infrastructure investment”, the report said. Subsidies during 2024-25 increased sharply (124.63 per cent), mainly due to power subsidies, the CAG noted. “As a result, the state was not able to arrest the revenue and fiscal deficits within the target levels of the State FRBM Act, thereby rendering little room for fiscal consolidation,” the report said. “Though outstanding liabilities remained within the numerical targets, this needs to be seen in the context of growing outstanding off-budget borrowings and contingent liabilities through guarantees,” it added. The increasing debt load, high committed expenditure and limited capital investment raise concerns about fiscal sustainability, the report said, stressing revenue augmentation, better expenditure control and structural reforms to ensure long-term fiscal health. The CAG said transparency should be enhanced in off-budget borrowings, ensuring timely accounting and reports, and steps should be taken for more judicious budget provisioning. (Source: PTI)        

IMPHAL : Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Monday said his government is committed to strengthening the police force to maintain peace in the state that has witnessed ethic violence for about three years, and urged people to refrain from violent agitations. Speaking at an event on the occasion of flagging off 477 new vehicles for the state police, he asserted that it would be difficult to bring peace to Manipur without a strong police force. Singh said, “Manipur Police personnel took a big responsibility in controlling and preventing the violence in the state and even sacrificed their lives. Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF and all other security agencies also took equal responsibility in maintaining the law and order situation following the unfortunate violence in the state.” More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023. The government is committed to providing “maximum support to strengthen the police force”, the CM said. “During an agitation following the killing of two children in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district, there had been instances when certain youths had targeted security forces, instead of pursuing peaceful rallies and engaging in talks. I appeal to all not to engage in violent activities,” the chief minister said. Later in a post on X, Singh said, “Flagged off 477 police vehicles at the 1st MR Parade Ground today in the presence of Home Minister K Govindas Singh, MLAs, Commissioner (Home) DGP, and senior police officials.” The vehicles procured for the Manipur Police are part of a scheme for the modernisation of police, he said. “Today is a historic moment for the state….This significant augmentation of police mobility and operational capacity will strengthen law enforcement and enhance public service delivery across the state,” he said. “The Government of Manipur remains firmly committed to equipping the police force with modern resources and infrastructure to ensure effective policing, public safety, and the maintenance of law and order,” he added. (Source: PTI)          

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said his government will set up a counter-radicalisation cell to “protect vulnerable youth from extremist influence”. He asserted that Assam will “give it back firmly” to anyone trying to mislead the youth of the state. “We will not allow any group or individual to mislead our youth and ruin their future by radicalising them. Assam will give it back firmly,” Sarma said in a post on X. A counter radicalisation cell will be established to protect vulnerable youth from extremist influence,” the chief minister said. Sarma, however, did not elaborate on the proposed cell. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Two persons were arrested after bottles of banned codeine-based cough syrup worth over Rs 2 crore were seized from their possession in two separate operations in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The two operations were carried out on Saturday in Cachar and Kokrajhar districts. Codeine is strictly regulated in India. Over-the-counter sales of codeine-based medicines are prohibited, and possessing, manufacturing or selling them without a valid medical licence is illegal under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Sarma, in a post on X, said a consignment of the banned syrup was seized from a truck in Cachar. “Based on reliable inputs, a truck was intercepted by @cacharpolice leading to the recovery of Rs 2.1cr worth of banned Codeine Phosphate Syrup,” he said on Saturday. One person has been arrested, Sarma added, affirming that efforts to dismantle the drug network will continue. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), also in a post on social media on Sunday, said another consignment was seized in Kokrajhar. “Intercepting a truck carrying cattle feed at a naka checkpoint yesterday, @KokrajharPolice uncovered and seized 30,000 bottles of illicit Codeine syrup at Gossaigaon and apprehended the driver,” it said. “HCM Dr. @himantabiswa has applauded the operational team for their sharp vigilance,” the CMO added. Codeine is strictly regulated in India. Over-the-counter sales of codeine-based medicines are prohibited, and possessing, manufacturing or selling them without a valid medical licence is illegal under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. (Source: PTI)