The recent visit of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Assam which was followed by the visit of the Union Home Minister Mr Amit Shah are harbinger of the importance of Assam and the North East in the Centre’s scheme of things. The moot point is not how much of grants the Centre announced or what the Prime Minister and the Home Minister inaugurated. The important thing to note was the time they spent in Assam, and their reiteration of how the State will continue to be important for New Delhi’s overall planning with Bangladesh and South East Asia as geo-strategic neighbours. As the paper was going to press, there were murmurs of another visit of the Prime Minister in January to inaugurate a key infrastructure project in the State.
Assam is on the cusp of becoming one of the fastest growing States in the country under the able leadership of its Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and with a no-holds barred support from the Centre. Under circumstances like this, it is important that the people of the State also contribute their bit. The entrepreneur spirit has to be unlocked while savings must be channelized into investments that have a long term economic growth strategy built around it. Let this be the New Year resolution of the Government and the people.
