Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s visit to Assam early in February set the tone for the State and its people to visualise a journey into Amrit Kaal where progress, prosperity and peace will be the dominant themes in their life having previously seen the worst. The Prime Minister, with his sagely vision, has already started seeing the North East of India as one of the most important regions not only of the country but also of SouthEast Asia. His unflinching commitment to the region was visible when he inaugurated projects worth ₹10,000 cr, something unprecedented in the history of our State and the region. In my political career spanning decades, I hardly recall seeing in any leader the kind of vision he has for the country. No wonder, why I love to call him an all-weather friend. These projects are not only building infrastructure but also building the nation in more ways than one. They are instilling in our people the importance of a united India thereby dissipating secessionist tendency from the hearts and minds of its youth.
It is with this vision that our Government’s Budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025 was designed and presented. A Budget that focuses on empowerment of the women, youth and creation of job opportunities. We have been very consistent in our stand that unless women and the girl child are empowered and made to stand on their feet, the destiny of a nation cannot be written. Our Government’s law against child marriage and other areas that lead to a stagnating society is geared towards that. Ever since we brought about legislation to this effect, we have been receiving heart-warming compliments from those who have suffered on account of the prevalent practices sanctioned by personal laws and loopholes in the system. I am committing myself to the betterment of society in Assam, come what may on this score. When I stood in the hallowed precincts of the Assam Assembly, I vowed that if I am representing the people’s interest, I will continue to fight for the betterment of girl child, irrespective of the caste and community colours that are being talked about. Our policy prescription for this effect has been very clear.
Today, there is cheer all around Assam. Our GSDP is crossing magic marks; our GST collection is trumping the national average, our economy is buoyant, and our prospects are bright. This is and cannot merely be the handiwork of a Government. Unless there is equal contribution from the people, we cannot achieve any of these. It is therefore my fervent appeal to the people of Assam to believe in the Government and contribute with all their might to the cause of nation building. This must be Assam’s finest period, which will lead to an Amrit Kaal that the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji has envisioned for the country. Our Finance Minister, in her Budget speech, announced that an industry summit would be held in Assam in the month of November this year. Having attended many such summits in my official capacity, I believe the growth trajectory of the State will continue unabated once we start receiving investments in our economy. This will not only generate jobs but also boost social sector spending, so integral in a welfare State. Our Government did its bit by employing 94,000-plus youth in the workforce as promised, and will do even more. However, there is a caveat. I must reiterate that there is a limit to the Government being a job provider. In any advanced economy around the world, the Government’s main role is to act as a facilitator for the private sector to provide jobs while the Government acts as a catalyst. These are the rules of Governance which we can only ignore at our peril. Going by trends, the youth and the innovators have to take matters into their hand to drive the levers of the economy and thereby of the State.
When we came to power in Dispur, we were focused on bringing about reformation in land revenue and land right system, doing away with the opaqueness that had plagued it for times immemorial. We realised very early that digitization is the way forward. This, while simplifying the system, would benefit the indigenous people of the State who were struggling on this front because of historical and other reasons. When Mission Basundhara 2.0 was launched, it brought about a complete change in the mindset of people. Over 13 lakh applications to correct land data anomalies were received by us, nearly 90% belonged to SC, ST and OBCs. Now that the results are for all of us to see, we feel that this will be and has been one of our crowning glories in the years that we have been Governing the State. Spurred by its success, we did not think twice before launching Mission Basundhara 3.0 where the next generation reform will take place. This will benefit the tea community to whom the people of Assam owe a lot.
