A year of phenomenal developments

Gautam Ganguly

(gautamganguly2012@gmail.com)

As a perfect sequel to the tangible, people-benefiting schemes being  implemented by the government of Assam, the Prime Minister, during his last visit to the state, laid the foundation stone for multiple road upgrading projects worth over Rs. 3400 crore, under which 43 roads, including 38 bridges, will be upgraded as part of the South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Corridor Connectivity. Moreover, in a fitting gesture to the pilgrims visiting Kamakhya temple, the foundation stone of ‘Maa Kamakhya Divya Pariyojana’ (Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor) has been laid, which has been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for the North Eastern Region (PM-Dev) scheme aimed at providing world-class amenities to pilgrims visiting the Kamakhya temple. 

As part of the second anniversary celebrations of the ruling dispensation headed by Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, ceremonially distributed appointment letters to 44,703 newly recruited candidates from various government departments on May 24, 2023. Needless to say, such transparency in the appointment of government employees is unprecedented and unparalleled in the country. Going further, it is revealed that a total of 88,080 appointments have been made so far, fairly and transparently, free from all sorts of allegations that haunt governments generally. It is indeed a Himalayan achievement by the government, besides fulfilling the election promise to provide one appointment. No other government elsewhere in the country has claimed to have done even half of it.

In its bid to reduce traffic congestion, thereby providing relief to beleaguered commuters in Guwahati, spectacular flyovers have been made in record time. The state’s longest flyover, named Nilachal Flyover, which stretches over 2.63 kilometres connecting Maligaon Chariali to Kamakhya Gate, has come up. Further, the 2.28-km-long Shraddhanjali Flyover has been completed in 19 months, connecting Commerce College Point, ensuring smoother transportation much to the satisfaction of harassed city dwellers. Six more flyovers are in the offing, as reported.

A casual glimpse at the history of medical colleges and education reveals that until 2008, there were only three medical colleges in Assam. While the iconic Berrywhite medical school at Dibrugarh was upgraded into Assam Medical College as early as 1947, Gauhati Medical College was established in 1960. Silchar Medical College had started functioning in 1968. For 61 years, these three medical colleges produced a paltry 391 medical graduates, falling far short of the requirement of treatment by qualified allopathic doctors for the growing population of the state at an affordable price. Further, the acceptable   ‘doctor-patient ratio’ prescribed by WHO (World Health Organisation) is 1:1000. Needless to say, the ratio in Assam was lopsided for a long time.  Assam had one doctor for 1,800 patients until 2016. 

To meet the widening gulf of the doctor-patient ratio, the government of Assam had started working towards a solution and targeting reaching the required ratio by establishing government medical colleges with a view to producing more medical graduates and taking health care services to the door step of hoi-polloi. With the establishment of three medical colleges in Nagaon, Nalbari, and Kokrajhar in 2023, Assam now boasts thirteen medical colleges, and 1550 medical graduates are being produced every year. It’s a qualitative leap from meagre 391 medical graduates in a year till 2008 to 1550, ensuring better medical facilities to people and opening the horizon of opportunities for aspiring students to pursue medical education.

Interestingly, a casual comparison with the Bengal medical scenario showcases a clear advantage for Assam. As per the 2011 census, the West Bengal population is  9.13 crore, three times more than the Assam population as per the 2011 census. Till 2016, West Bengal had nine government medical colleges, five of which were in Kolkata and four outside Kolkata city. These four outskirt colleges were at Silguri, Burdwan, Bankura, and Midnapur. Around the same time, there were six government medical colleges in Assam in 2016, five of which were outside Guwahati. Viewed from this perspective, Assam is certainly catering to more afflicted persons with skilled manpower and enriched infrastructure in rural areas.

It is heartening that financial experts and analysts across the country view Assam’s economy as stable and progressing well. During 2023–24, the GDP of Assam soared to an unprecedented Rs 5.65 lakh crore, marking a remarkable 14.7 percent growth. Assam is swiftly emerging as an economic powerhouse. Initial estimates indicate a GDP of Rs 6.38 lakh crore this year. The government of Assam ensures payment of salary and pension, inclusive of dearness, promptly within a month without any backlog.

Orunodoi, a poverty alleviation scheme, has met with resounding success ever since it was launched. Under ‘Orunodoi’, monetary benefits have been envisaged for more than 24 lakh poor households in the state. The schematic benefit has been enhanced from Rs. 830 to Rs. 1000 per woman. Presently, the scheme has more than 26 lakh beneficiaries. 

A whole gamut of vibrant infrastructure development schemes, bringing tangible transformation in land revenue administration, etc., are being carried out at breakneck speed, speed vindicating the saying that ‘action speaks louder than words’.