by Sudip Sharma Chowdhury
GUWAHATI : In sync with rest of the country, the 75th Independence Day was celebrated at Silchar in Cachar district on Sunday. Unfurling the national flag at the District Sports Association ground, Minister Suklabaidya paid homage to the martyrs of the independence movement.
“The air we breathe today is due to the supreme sacrifices of our valiant martyrs and freedom fighters. On the momentous occasion, let us all reiterate to build an Aatmanirbhar Assam and an Aatmanirbhar India,” he said. He also paid homage to the six Assam Police personnel who were martyred in the firing incident at Lailapur along the Assam-Mizoram inter-state border. Outlining the various development works of the state government, Suklabaidya said, “On May 10, 2021, the newly elected government under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr.Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath. Since then, this government has taken a number of important decisions in just three months of its formation and fully dedicated itself in the service of the people.”
He said that the state government has taken steps to recruit one lakh job aspirants in various departments. The recruitment process for these posts will start from September 1. The government has taken the responsibility of repaying the microfinance loans that have made the women of the state financially distressed. Minister Suklabaidya said, “It was decided by the state government to take full responsibility of repaying the loans of those who are unable to repay the loan and to provide an incentive of Rs 25,000 to all those who repays the loan on time.” He said that the government has taken a tough stand to curb the illegal trafficking of children and women from Assam.
Meanwhile, 185 children and women have been rescued from the clutches of human traffickers. Two young women and 40 children from different parts of Sikkim have been rescued from Assam. Moreover, the present government has taken steps to curb the illegal trade of animals by enacting laws on the floor of the Assembly. The sale of beef near Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and other religious places and in non-Muslim majority areas has been completely banned.
The Minister further said that the government has decided to carry out massive financial reforms to further accelerate the development of the state. According to him, all projects costing up to Rs 2 crore will be approved by the Department Committee headed by the Department Commissioner. The project costing Rs 2 to 5 crore will be approved by the Standing Finance Committee headed by the Chief Secretary. The project, which will cost Rs 5 crore to Rs 100 crore will be approved by a Standing Finance Committee headed by the Finance Minister. The Minister, in his speech, also highlighted the COVID situation in the state. He said Rs.140.70 crore so far has been collected in the CM’s Relief Fund. 1.36 crore people in the state have been administered COVID vaccines. The present government has added 600 new ICU beds in the health sector including 200 ICU beds at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and 100 beds in Sarusajai Hospital. With the help of DRDO, a temporary COVID hospital with 300 beds has been started in Sarusajai Sports Complex.
Necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the COVID patients are not deprived of oxygen, he added. He further said that since the state government took over the reins of power, the Assam Police has launched an all-out campaign against drugs across the state to safeguard the larger interests of the state and the future of the youth. From May 10 to August 12, 2021, 1,090 cases have been registered against drug dealers. Besides, 1,754 drug peddlers have been arrested. Heroin, marijuana, cough syrup and other narcotics worth Rs 189.10 crore were seized. The Chief Minister himself went to Golaghat, Diphu, Nagaon, Hojai and destroyed drugs worth more than Rs 100 crore. Suklabaidya said that the state government carried out eviction drives at Sipajhar, Hojai, Sonitpur and Karimganj where people encroached upon forest areas.
“The government by appointing Guardian Ministers for each district has started a new measure for ushering in all-round development. Further, for promoting online education during the ongoing pandemic, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Government has laid stress on setting up mobile towers in every nook and corner of the districts. At the clarion call of the Chief Minister, the people generously contributed an amount of Rs.140.60 crore so far,” he stated. As regards development of roads, the Minister said that work order for a total of 28,713 km of rural roads has been sanctioned, out of which 28,380 km has been completed. He also gave a detailed account of the steps taken by the government towards protection of forests and wildlife. He also mentioned about various other schemes and projects of the present government which include a Museum at Silchar, treatment facilities for recognised journalists, starting of cattle milk projects in Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Silchar; collection of Rs.2,220.77 crore by way of tax, 272 beds for COVID treatment at SMC&H, 192 oxygen support beds and 140 ICU beds; rice for first 3 months under Mid-Day Meal, 2021-22 have already been distributed; providing 414 tractors to support agriculture and production of 1,260 metric tonnes of fish.
The Minister and other dignitaries gave away appreciation certificates to the doctors, health workers and sanitisation workers and also prizes to the best contingent, cultural troupe, etc. Earlier, Minister Suklabaidya visited Gandhibagh along with DC, Cachar Keerthi Jalli and SP, Ramandeep Kaur and paid floral tributes to Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi and the martyrs of the freedom movement. Later on the day the Minister also visited the Central Jail, Silchar and greeted the jail inmates and distributed fruits and sweets to them in the presence of DC, SP, Jail Superintendent and other officials. The Minister urged the jail inmates to reform themselves during their incarceration period and to work for the good of the society once they get out of prison. Minister Suklabaidya also paid a visit to SMC&H along with MLA, Dipayan Chakraborty and BJP District President, Bimalendu Roy. He interacted with doctors and nurses and appreciated the services they rendered in providing treatment to COVID infected patients.