Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal calls for people’s movement for rainwater harvesting
A Correspondent
GAURISAGAR: Giving a clarion call to all sections of the people of the society, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said there should be people’s movement and everybody should contribute to rainwater harvesting in line with the Ahom Kingdom.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee celebrations of Sibsagar Commerce College in Sivasagar on Monday, Chief Minister Sonowal said taking into consideration the increasing crisis of drinking water, rainwater harvesting would be a noble endeavour for the society. Stating that rainwater harvesting, if done scientifically, could retain the evergreen prosperity of Assam, Sonowal urged the student community to take a lead in this aspect.
He also asked the teachers of Sibsagar Commerce College to implant the seeds of knowledge into their students and prepare them to take a plunge into professional world with strong base of social commitment like leading the society to rain water harvesting and other such sustainable practices.
Sonowal also said that since 65 per cent of the people of India were below 35 years of age, the country was endowed with rich pool of resources of youth. Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Skill India program for up-skilling and re-skilling the youth of the country. In view of this, Assam Government has set up a Skill Development Department and set up more than 240 skill centres in the State. The process is continuing unabated.
Motivating the student community, Sonowal said that his government was taking a series of steps to transform the State. He said that under UDAN international scheme, besides starting direct flight between Guwahati and Dhaka which he flagged off on Monday, preliminary works had been cleared to start direct flights between Guwahati and Bangkok, Guwahati and Brunei, Guwahati and Hanoi. Moreover, in water, land and rail transportation significant achievement had been made, he added.
Under Act East Policy, Chief Minister Sonowal said that intense works were going on to make Guwahati the gateway to ASEAN and BBN countries. He also informed that after Advantage Assam: Global Investors’ Summit, more than Rs 50,000 crore had been grounded in Assam in the first year itself out of the total MoUs which promised investment to the tune of Rs. 72,000 crore.