Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Highlights PM Modi’s Strategic Push for Northeast

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been developing infrastructure in Assam and the entire Northeast with a strategic thought in mind to provide a security shield to the region in the event of any escalation of the situation with the neighbouring countries.

Speaking at a media conclave on the completion of 12 years as a democratically elected prime minister of the country, the chief minister said, “The spirit and scale with which Prime Minister Modi has worked for the development of Assam in the past 12 years is unprecedented. The underground tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra, the under-construction underground double-railway line in the chicken neck, the proposed underground road in the corridor, and the Siliguri-Silchar corridor in the pipeline all demonstrate the prime minister’s strategic vision. Even before becoming the prime minister, Modi Ji toured every district of Assam, which is why he has fair knowledge of each and every district in the state. The present situation is such that the centre is eager to allot many projects to Assam, but we may not be in a position to provide the matching logistical support.

In Assam, the chief minister said, “On many indices, Assam is among the top ten states in the country. This achievement is a result of the NDA government’s efforts in the state. We need to rediscover untapped resources in the state, as the already discovered ones are nearing their saturation points. We need to move towards new-age industries. We have to lay stress on medicinal plants and the fragrance industry. The Blue Valley Cluster of the European Union entering the region in this sector is significant, as they are keen to invest Rs 2,000 crore in the region.”

On the demographic change, the chief minister said, “The central government has taken the matter seriously and formed a high-level committee on demographic change. We’ve suggested to the high-level committee to identify the citizenship status of every family residing near international borders within certain intervals of time so as to check demographic changes.”

The Chief Minister said, “People residing in Sar-Sapori merely writing Assamese as their mother tongue in census returns won’t serve the purpose unless they adopt Assamese as their home language. However, the Assamese language will stay in Assam until the presence of the sun and the moon, regardless of whether the Sar dwellers speak it or not.

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