In April, the Assam Cabinet decided that the State will pay a fitting tribute to one of its most illustrious sons Dr Bhupen Hazarika by celebrating his centenary with a round-the-year programme that takes his message, his personae, and his creations to people far and wide. Many across the country are not aware of his enormous repertoire while there are millions who still hum his music and songs. The fact that he was a humanist in the true sense of the word is what we will project across the world. He mesmerised people across the continents and seas with his music and songs, and won them over with his wit and intellect. Yes, deep down he was a people’s men who thrived among the masses who were his constituency. His artistic oeuvres were all borne of the human experiences that he gathered with his insights and lived reality. I feel myself lucky to have lived, grown up and matured when Bhupen Da was around; and consider myself even luckier to be part of the Government of Assam during his centenary celebrations.
Meanwhile, the Assam Budget presented by my colleague Ajanta Neog, the fourth of the present Government, was historical and futuristic at the same time. Seldom does such a coincidence happen. It is in many ways a budget of many firsts.
ASSAMSAT, a satellite that we propose to send, will aid agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, and border security management and police operations. This will help major and key socio-economic projects. We also have in mind India’s first Bamboo Smart City, that will showcase to the world sustainable and eco-friendly urban planning. We have reasons to believe that this initiative will create jobs and uplift the State as a leader in sustainable architecture. The Budget also laid down a road map of another first: Bioplastic start-ups to establish the State as the country’s first Green Packaging Industrial Hub. Backing the idea with funding on research & development, we are determined to achieve what we have promised.
However, we have also kept in mind that any financial exercise of such magnitude as the Budget always take care of the masses. Social security measures have been enhanced while women empowerment has been kept at the centre stage of the entire exercise undertaken by our Government. These measures are aimed at making Assam as one of the top five States in the country, something which we had promised to the people when we were voted by the people to power in 2021. The foundational premise of this year’s Budget was Vikas Bhi and Virasat Bhi. We have taken care to keep fiscal discipline in mind while not compromising on Government capex. I am also pleased to let you all know that at 85% utilisation of our budgetary allocation of the previous year, this is the best ever performance by any Government in the State. No wonder, our GSDP has grown by 13%, a full 3 percentage above the national average. Our expenditure next fiscal will be 1.55 lakh crore. All these are pointers that we have begun our home run, to borrow a terminology from baseball, and will soon enjoy the achievement.
The visit of Shri Amit Shah Ji to Assam in March was once again a reiteration of the love and care the Central Government has for Assam. He took time out to inaugurate the first phase of the revamped Assam Police training academy rightly christened by us as Lachit Barphukan Police Academy. This academy has the potential to be one of the finest training schools for the police in the country. Police recruits from Goa and Manipur have already undergone training in the Academy to their satisfaction. As the Home Minister pointed out, those days are history when we had to send our recruits into the police to train elsewhere. The honourable Home Minister was also liberal with his time to attend the annual conference of the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) wherein he rightfully appreciated the role of ABSU in ushering in peace and development in Bodoland. I have always believed in the power of youth to bring about change. ABSU has proved this all over again in Bodoland. I am sure that with their vision for the future of their people, the ABSU will continue to play a proactive role in the lives of the people of the region and Assam.
I am pleased to know of the rapid stride that Government schools in Assam have made in the last few years. From a near dismal performance in 2017, we have managed to come a long way in improving physical and intellectual infrastructure in these institutions. If figures ever told the truth, this must be the one case I am proud to quote. In 2017, when we began this exercise, just over 6300 schools were accorded Grade A+; this figure has touched 13,952 in 2025, a more than 100% rise. This automatically means that there is a massive fall in the numbers of under-performing schools thereby signifying that our efforts have started paying dividends. Gunotsav is not a Government exercise alone; it involves all stakeholders: teachers, students, parents and the community. When we all come together with a mission to improve the way education is imparted in Government-run schools, we can register a real improvement in indices that will set us apart.
