As much as 99.9 per cent people of Assam look after their aging parents, claims former Chief Minister
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 15: Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said the passage of the Bill – the Assam Employees Parental Responsibility Norms for Accountability Monitoring (PRAM) Act, 2017 – has hurt the Assamese sentiment as it is set to send a wrong message to the outside world that ‘Assamese people don’t look after their ageing parents’.
With the passage of the Bill on the last day of September Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly on Friday, now on government employees are bound to look after their parents and differently-abled siblings. In the event of any person not obeying this Act, complaint can be lodged in his/her departments that will hear both sides and make way for cutting 10-15 per cent of the person’s salaries for parents or differently-abled siblings.
Talking to the press at the CLP conference room in the State Assembly on Friday, Gogoi said: “The new Act will send a wrong message to the outside world that the Assamese people don’t look after ageing parents. As much as 99.9 per cent people in Assam look after their parents. This is very much intact in our social fabric. If it is to be made compulsory, why haven’t they incorporated it into the Government Service Rules? By incorporating it in the service rules they can compel erring sons and daughters to look after their ageing parents. If they don’t, the government can stop their increments and promotions. Where’s is the necessity of such an Act?” On the speech delivered by State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa, Gogoi said: “The minister’s speech while introducing the Bill also threw poor light on the Assamese society as a whole. Which Assamese don’t look after their parents?”
On the Gutsav and mami Barak after mami Brahmaputra, Gogoi said: “Festivals are normally held for amusement. If the money spent on festivals is used in the departments that will benefit us more. Government holding such festivals paves the way for corruption. Even government officials are allowed to raise funds. The officials even go to extent of raising funds on the roads.”
On the unfenced border with Bangladesh, Gogoi said: “The Supreme Court had to intervene asking the government to seal the intertiol border with Bangladesh. What does this smack of? The government hasn’t yet met the poll promise of sealing the intertiol border.”
On law and order in the State, Gogoi said: “Dispur has utterly failed on this front. This government hasn’t even filled up the vacant posts in the Police Accountability Commission, Assam and the State Human Rights Commission (AHRC). The BJP has completed three years at the Centre and a year and a half at Dispur. However, during such a long period we’ve seen the approval of only two projects of Assam – All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and an agriculture research institute. Actor Priyanka Chopra has been made the brand ambassador of Assam, but the move has failed to boost the State Tourism Department. Priyanka is also the brand ambassador of Sikkim. She, however, doesn’t know anything about Sikkim.”