News Analysis India

Tag: Himanta Biswa Sarma

  • Short supply of vaccines behind Assam’s failure to achieve 30 lakh inoculation target, says Official

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The BJP-led Assam government could vaccinate only 16.63 lakh people in the last 10 days, almost 45 per cent less than Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s target of inoculating 30 lakh people, due to a massive shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, a senior health official said on Thursday.

    As per the daily COVID-19 bulletin issued by the National Health Mission under the state Health Department, a total of 16,63,405 people were inoculated across the state from June 21 to June 30.

    This figure is way below the ambitious 30-lakh target set during Sarma’s meeting with all the stakeholders of the districts on June 19.

    “This is a part of our Enhanced Immunisation Drive. From June 21, we shall be targeting three lakh vaccinations daily till June 30,” the chief minister had said in a press meet after reviewing preparations with the districts.

    According to the NHM data, the government could touch the daily target of three lakh vaccines only on two days — June 21 (3,30,667 jabs) and June 23 (3,60,315 jabs).

    The state government could vaccinate more than two lakh people on one day, one lakh on four days and less than one lakh on three days, a compilation of the bulletins showed.

    The Health Department even witnessed one of the lowest vaccination figures till now — 14,551 doses on June 30, NHM said.

    ALSO READ: SC stays NGT order forming committee on fire incident in Assam’s Baghjan oil well

    The administration vaccinated 3,30,667 people on June 21, 2,84,643 on June 22, 3,60,315 on June 23, 1,79,595 on June 24, 1,66,934 on June 25, 1,52,956 on June 26, 19,924 on June 27, 1,08,623 on June 28, 45,197 on June 29 and 14,551 on June 30, it said.

    When contacted, NHM Mission Director Lakshmanan S told PTI that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines dropped after three days of commencement of the Enhanced Immunisation Drive on June 21, leading to a lower number of vaccinations.

    “During the first three days, we had enough vaccines and inoculated more than 9.75 lakh people. However, the numbers went down as we did not get enough supplies,” he said.

    Initially, there was a short supply of only Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, but later the availability of Covishield by the Serum Institute of India also became an issue, Lakshmanan said.

    “Yesterday, we got six lakh doses of Covishield. We immediately distributed these to the districts. So, you will see the vaccination numbers rising again in the next three days. However, we do not have any idea when we will get the next supply in the coming 15 days,” he said.

    The NHM mission director also said that the government had prepared more than 2,000 centres to achieve the daily target of vaccinating three lakh people, but many of them became inactive after the supply declined.

    “These centres were opened mostly in local hospitals and health centres. Now, they are engaged in giving other vaccines like polio and TB to children and other people under the Universal Immunisation Programme.

    “We also have in stock 40 lakh Japanese Encephalitis vaccines for adults, but we could not start the drive due to engagement with COVID-19 inoculation programme,” the official said.

    On June 19, the chief minister had said that if the Assam government could meet the target of inoculating at least 2.80 lakh to 3 lakh people daily for 10 days from June 21, the Centre would ensure that the state continues to get more vaccines in July as well.

    To meet this humongous target at a time when the state was vaccinating only 50,000 to 1 lakh people daily, he had even said that there would be no government work for one week and the entire machinery would be involved in the inoculation exercise.

    The launch of the programme coincided with the day when the Centre restarted free vaccination for all people in the country.

    According to the NHM bulletin issued on Wednesday night, a total of 70,22,282 doses of vaccines have been administered in Assam.

    This includes 57,91,586 first doses and 12,30,696 second doses.

  • ‘Will ensure Muslims take initiative on population control’: Assam CM Himanta outlines 10-year vision

    Express News Service
    Q. What is your 10-year vision for Assam?

    A: There are many issues. In the social sector, Assam is not in the top bracket of states. My whole effort will be on how we can improve Assam’s rank in areas of infrastructure, SDG index, or indexes like maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, etc. These are among the primary objectives of the government.

    Assam has the typical problem of flood and erosion and we have to work towards achieving a permanent solution. We talk about infrastructure development and the development of the human resources index but unless we solve the problem of flood and erosion, we will not be able to do much.

    Assam is the gateway to the Northeast. So, the development of Assam is interlinked with the development of the Northeast. The states in the region have failed to take unified policies on various fronts due to inter-state border disputes and some kind of rivalry in the case of maintaining the borders. It has acted as a stumbling block towards developing a unified policy and putting in a unified effort for the development of the region. So, solving border disputes and bringing uniformity in various policy approaches like tourism infrastructure development, connectivity, etc will be another objective.

    Assam has another unique problem. We have been able to manage our annual population growth somewhere around 1.6% but if you go beyond statistics, you will realise that the Muslim population is growing almost at 29%. The last two censuses showed that the growth is 29% whereas the Hindus are growing just at 10%. This means poverty, illiteracy will increase among Muslims. So, we need to bring certain measures whereby the growth of the population can be slowed down. For that, I think we need to expand health and educational initiatives. So, these will be roughly my primary objectives.

    Q. Tribal and tea garden communities will be exempted from the two-child population policy. Won’t this defeat the whole purpose?

    A:  You must see our policy parameters. First, we said there will be some incentives including free education for girls in universities, financial inclusion for minority women, the establishment of college and university for women in minority areas, reservation in panchayats, government jobs, etc. So, these are policy parameters that will speak about incentives. But if you focus only on incentives, I think every policy is bound to fail. In simple words, if you are punishing a criminal in a particular case, then you have to reward the people who have done good things. In a society, you have to have an approach where both work together.

    Q. Do you think the government also has to work on the ground to control the Muslim population?

    I am in constant touch with various leaders of Muslim society. In order to eradicate poverty and illiteracy, you need an approach that comes from within the community. If we go from outside and take some steps, they will always be interpreted on political lines. But this is not a political issue. This is simply about the well-being of our mothers, sisters, and the community. I will meet the leaders of various Muslim organisations next month in order to create some kind of initiative or leadership within the community.

    Q. Tribals have a small population and exempting them from population policy is understandable. But why exempt the tea garden community?

    A: People belonging to the tea garden community are also tribals. If you look at their history, they are not constitutionally declared a tribal community within Assam but they are Adivasis. They are Munda, Ghatowar, Kurmi, Tanti, etc. They are ST or SC in their original homeland but we have not been able to grant ST status to them in Assam due to some constitutional reasons. But when they are referred in the context of India, they are the Adivasis. So, our policy is consistent. We have seen the tribal population is declining in Assam.

    Q. What is your vaccination roadmap?

    A:  Initially, there was a lot of vaccine hesitancy in Assam. It was primarily because we did not have Covid cases till April 10. There was a mindset among people that they are living in a post-Covid scenario. However, from May onwards, the demand for vaccines has gone up. We tried to match the demand but there was a constraint on the supply side. A few days ago, a member of Niti Aayog and the Union health secretary indicated Assam should be ready to vaccinate 2.6 lakh people every day. They wanted to basically see our performance. So on June 21, 22, and 23, we vaccinated altogether 10.5 lakh people. That shows our strength.

    We have created model vaccination counters; our ANMs are working overtime; we have deployed technical people right at the vaccination centres so that digital illiteracy does not come in the way of vaccination. Over and above, we are incentivising our healthcare persons and motivators. I am fortunate that various social organisations and some political parties are taking steps to create awareness on vaccination.

    Q. Are you taking up the issue of drug menace at the CM level or inter-state level with states such as Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram since the contraband comes from these states?

    A: Whenever we, the leaders of Northeast, meet, we discuss this issue. We say we need to control it. However, I have not initiated any discussions officially primarily because the (Union) Home Minister is coming to Shillong in July. An agenda of the discussions will be coordinated among the states in the Northeast towards reining in the drug menace. Issues like the trafficking of women will also be discussed.

    Q. Solving flood and erosion was your poll commitment. Are you making any efforts towards this end?

    A:  To solve the problem, you need a lot of money and technology. You also need an institutional structure. We are working towards that. Of course, we will be dependent on the central government largely. I am sure the support will be available.

    Q. Your drive against encroachment is being seen targeted at a particular community. Is it so?

    A: It looks like that from outside. Who in the country will allow the encroachment of forests? There is an order passed every day by Supreme Court or the High Courts to ensure that the country’s forest cover does not go down. It is a national concern. I am just acting according to the national policy. It is merely accidental that some of the evicted people belonged to the religious minority community. We evicted Hindus as well two days ago in Guwahati. So, we are not targeting any community but unfortunately, encroachment is higher on that (Muslim) side. For me, the encroachers are a class. As the CM, my duty is to protect forests. I don’t have to see which religion they are from. There is unanimity in the political spectrum across the board against the encroachment of the land of sacred places.

    Q. What is the status of the National Register of Citizens?

    A: The NRC coordinator has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a relook at the document. It is now entirely up to the court.

    Q. Do you think statehood to Kashmir will happen soon?

    A: I am not following the Kashmir-related issues closely but I am happy that the Prime Minister has initiated a political process. At the same time, I am also very happy that the Kashmiri leadership is talking to Delhi without putting the restoration of Article 370 as a pre-condition. We must give credit to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

    Q. Is there any headway in the move to grant ST status to six communities in Assam?

    A: This is a difficult issue. It is difficult to address certain things. The moment we will give ST status to the tea garden community, our local tribals will start opposing. I don’t want a clash between communities. We have to address the issue tactfully.

    Q. The ULFA declared a three-month ceasefire following your appeal. Is a peace process with the insurgent group possible?

    A: (ULFA military chief) Paresh Baruah wants discussions on Assam’s sovereignty and I have taken an oath to protect the sovereignty of the country. Nonetheless, there are people I know who have been in touch with the group for discussing substantial issues without insisting on sovereignty.

  • CMs of BJP-ruled states in Northeast condemn Congress on 46th anniversary of Emergency

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states in the Northeast condemned the Congress on the 46th anniversary of the Emergency, describing it as the darkest day of democracy.

    Taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote: “National Emergency was not done to thwart any attempt of political violence or sedition. It was a sheer manifestation of Gandhi’s anger & her attempt to enjoy political supremacy.”

    Manipur CM N Biren Singh said on this day in 1975, the declaration of Emergency by the Congress to fulfil its own political interests was the biggest assault on India’s democracy.

    ALSO READ: Dark days of Emergency can never be forgotten, says PM Modi

    “We will never forget those dark days of dictatorship. Salute to the satyagrahis who resisted the emergency despite fierce torture,” Singh wrote on the micro-blogging site.

    He shared a poster along with his tweet, captioning it “Emergency 1975, the unforgivable sin of the Congress; a horrible saga to capture power by crushing the Constitution and democracy.”

    Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Dey also remembered “the darkest day of democracy.”

    He tweeted that the Emergency was imposed violating the freedom of expression and the rights of people. “I salute everyone who fiercely and fearlessly resisted the Emergency,” Deb said.

    He saluted every voice that was raised against the “darkest chapter of Indian history and democracy on the occasion of Anti-Emergency Day.”

  • Congress MP claims Himanta following ‘unscientific’ population control policy of UP

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Congress Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday alleged that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is following his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanaths proposed population policy which he described as “unscientific and outdated”.

    Sarma had recently said the state government will gradually implement a policy, which will enable families with not more than two children to avail benefits under certain state government schemes.

    The chief minister is not looking within the state, even in rural areas, where a lot of changes have taken place over the years but he is blindly following Yogi Adityanath’s proposed policy in Uttar Pradesh which can in no way be applied to Assam, Gogoi said at a press conference here.

    “Sarma is talking about an unscientific and outdated concept as the mindset of people have changed, education and health facilities have improved and the rate of population increase has declined over the years”, he said.

    The chief minister must adopt a scientific temperament and if he takes measures to ensure education, health facilities for all, and empower women, there will be no need for a separate population policy, the party MP from Kaliabor said.

    “They may have made the right diagnosis for the disease (increase in population) but the prescription they have adopted is wrong.

    They should discuss with us as the nation’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had always advocated a scientific approach in dealing with various issues”, he said.

    It was due to Nehru’s farsightedness that IITS, AIIMS, and other scientific and research organisations were established in the country for which India continues to receive accolades across the world, he added.

    The Assam chief minister had said that the proposed population control policy would not be applicable on all schemes in the state immediately as many of the benefits are offered by the central government.

    On the microfinance loans issue, Gogoi alleged that the chief minister has “committed a fraud with women of the state”.

    “During the assembly election campaign, the BJP leaders did not say anything about the conditions which would be made applicable but now they are talking about the eligibility criteria for loan waiver.

    They have cheated poor women and how will they assess who can repay the loans when most are reeling under the impact of the COVID and loss of livelihoods”, he said.

    Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal had recently suggested the loan amount willnot be waived if availed after December 31, 2020 or it turned into NPA, family income is more than Rs 1 lakh, any member pays income tax and owns a car.

    Leader of the Opposition Debabrat Saikia had demanded that the state government remove all pre-conditions and waive the loans to give relief to poor women, as part of the BJP’s poll assurance.

    The Congress does not want to do “politics on the issue but as an opposition party we have the responsibility to make the BJP accountable to people and will therefore help the affected women to raise their voice and take appropriate action against the government”, he said.

    Referring to the recent resignation of Rupjyoti Kurmi from the Congress to join the BJP, Gogoi said that the saffron party is only interested in “silencing the opposition so that they can continue with their illegal activities and syndicates.

    “The BJP wants to silence all, whether it be politicians, students or journalists, who question the party for its wrong policies and actions but the Congress will continue to raise the voice and concerns of the people in the state”, he said.

    The BJP wants a “silent or an absent opposition and to end democracy by intimidating their opponents but we will not let this happen”, Gogoi added.

    Asked about a change in the party leadership, he said that after the assembly elections, a high-level committee was set up to examine all issues, and discussions were held with the state leadership on the strengths and weaknesses and how to move forward by preparing a road-map for the future.

    “The report has been submitted to the AICC leadership and we have been asked to concentrate on helping the people who have been severely affected by the COVID and the consequent lockdown,” Gogoi said.

  • BJP will continue to induct people from other parties, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma 

    By PTI
    GERUKAMUKH: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that the process of inducting people from different political parties into the BJP will continue, as he welcomed former Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi to the party fold.

    Speaking at a party programme in the Dhemaji district, Sarma said that inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ideals and hard work to build a developed nation, many political leaders and workers have joined the BJP.

    “It is my firm belief that a day will come when all people and organisations of the state will be associated with the BJP and help in building a strong and developed nation,” he said.

    The process of inducting people into the BJP from other parties began in 2014, it continued with many leaders joining before the assembly polls this year, while several others have expressed their interest to join after the polls, Sarma said.

    “This is primarily due to the confidence and faith that people have in the prime minister’s vision and leadership,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Big jolt for Congress in Assam as four-time party MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi joins BJP

    Referring to Kurmi, the chief minister said that he is a youth leader who represents not only the aims and aspirations of the tea tribe community but also the people of the state.

    “Be it the Assam-Nagaland border issue, development of his constituency and the state, or schemes for the tea tribe community, Kurmi has always been vocal and at the forefront to highlight the issues.

    We are hopeful that he will continue to work for the development of his constituency and the state,” he said.

    Kurmi, a four-time MLA, was in the Congress for a longer period “than me and will have a better understanding of that party and reasons for leaving it”, Sarma said.

    Kurmi said that he delayed joining the BJP and should have switched over much earlier.

    “Many people are saying that I have joined BJP for some post or opportunities but let me make it clear that I do not want any post but only an opportunity to work for the development and progress of the people and the state,” he said.

    As an opposition legislator, “it was our responsibility to criticise the ruling party but we did not realise that the public had immense faith and hope in this party for helping them to realise their dreams and aspirations”, he said.

    The vision of the chief minister to work for the indigenous population, safeguard their rights and check the growth of a minority community have been the major motivating factors to join the BJP, he said.

    Kurmi resigned from the Congress and as an MLA on June 18, alleging that both the national and state leaders of the party ignore the grassroot-level workers, the youths and the marginalised communities.

    Son of former Congress minister Rupam Kurmi, he represented the Mariani constituency in Golaghat district for four consecutive terms since 2006.

    Kurmi is the second Congress MLA to join the BJP with former Congress minister and Golaghat legislator Ajanta Neog switching over before the polls.

    She contested and won from the same constituency as a BJP candidate and became the first woman finance minister of the state.

  • IUML hits out at proposed two-child norm of Assam govt

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Sunday condemned the Assam government’s proposed population policy and termed it “anti-secular and unconstitutional”.

    The party also hit out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for advocating a two-child norm for availing benefits under specific state government schemes and exempting certain communities from it.

    “This policy of Assam is not only discriminatory but anti-secular and unconstitutional,” IUML National President K M Kader Mohideen said in a statement.

    He further said that all secular and democratic forces of the country should unite against this policy and force the Assam government to withdraw this “anti-national, unconstitutional policy of discrimination and destruction”.

    “The chief minister seems to take pleasure in dividing the people and ruining the family life,” Mohideen said, adding that Sarma was behaving “as the dictator in the Hitlerian fashion”.

    ALSO READ: Assam to soon implement its population policy in government schemes

    The former MP also took exception to the exemption offered to scheduled castes and tribes and tea tribe people in the proposed policy.

    “He (Sarma) has announced that families with more than two children, mostly Muslims, will have no right to get any government job nor will they receive any benefits from the government’s welfare schemes nor will they be permitted to contest in the local body elections.

    “But people belonging to scheduled castes and tribes and tea tribes are given exemption to have four to five children,” he added.

    Sarma had recently said the state government is mooting a population policy, which will enable only families with not more than two children to avail benefits under certain state government schemes.

    Assam currently has a two-child norm, along with requirements of minimum educational qualifications and functional sanitary toilets, for contesting in gaon panchayat polls as per an amendment in 2018 to the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994.

  • Assam to soon implement its population policy in government schemes

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Assam will soon implement its population policy in state government-sponsored schemes. “Whether it is a waiver of loans or government schemes, the government is going to implement the population norms in the near future,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

    He said that initially the numbers would be kept on the higher side — up to four to five children. Families belonging to the tea garden community, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe will be exempted from the purview of population norms, he said.

    The “Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam” says persons with more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs and they cannot become members of panchayat and civic bodies. Such families will also not be considered for various benefits under government schemes. The policy came into effect on January 1 this year.

    ALSO READ | Keep families small, Assam CM Sarma tells Muslims

    Last week, Sarma had made an appeal to Assam’s migrant Muslims to plan small families. He had warned that if the state’s population continued to explode, there would be conflicts over space for living and the land of even Kamakhya temple and his house would be encroached one day.

    However, Opposition Congress was quick to dismiss his statement. Sharing the data of the latest National Family Health Survey, undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and released in December 2020, the party said the total fertility rate (TFR) across most Indian states declined in the last five years.

    “The TFR is defined as the average number of children that would be born to a woman by the time she ends childbearing. A TFR of 2.1 is known as the replacement rate. The fertility rate of less than 2.1 implies that the total population will be less than the existing population which is also called the negative growth rate… As per the same survey, the fertility rate of women in Assam has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 1.9 in 2020-21 and 1.9 is less than 2.1 which means the future population of Assam will only be less than the current population,” the Congress had said.

  • Renowned Assamese academician Professor Dhiraj Bora passes away

    GUWAHATI: Renowned physicist Professor Dhiraj Bora passed away on Saturday. He was the Vice Chancellor of Assam Science & Technology University. He did his schooling from the Daly College, Indore and passed out in 1968. Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among leaders who mourned the death.

    “I am deeply saddened to know the untimely death of Dr. Dhiraj Bora, Vice Chancellor of Assam Science and Technology University, Guwahati. As an academician, he was par excellent and contributed immensely to the growth of higher and technical education in Assam,” Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi said in a tweet.

    His untimely departure is a great loss to the state and country. As a Chancellor, I will definitely miss Dr. Dhiraj Bora and his prudent company.My condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed to the Almighty for eternal peace of the departed soul.#JagdishMukhi
    — Prof. Jagdish Mukhi (@jagdishmukhi) June 19, 2021

    Mukhi further wrote: “His untimely departure is a great loss to the state and country. As a Chancellor, I will definitely miss Dr. Dhiraj Bora and his prudent company.”

    The Chief Minister’s Office tweeted: “CM Dr @himantabiswa extends rich tributes to renowned physicist and educator Prof Dhiraj Bora on his demise. He was VC, Assam Science & Technology University, Guwahati & ex-Director, Institute of Plasma Research, Gujarat. He leaves behind a rich legacy in academia and education.”

    CM Dr @himantabiswa extends rich tributes to renowned physicist and educator Prof Dhiraj Bora on his demise. He was VC, Assam Science & Technology University, Guwahati & ex-Director, Institute of Plasma Research, Gujarat. He leaves behind a rich legacy in academia and education. pic.twitter.com/hy4z5MlnUY
    — Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) June 19, 2021

    State’s Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said that Bora’s contributions as the vice chancellor of Assam Science & Technology University & former Director of the Institute of Plasma Research, Gujarat were enormous. 

  • Assam to vaccinate 3 lakh people every day from Monday

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Assam has set a target of vaccinating three lakh people every day from June 21.

    “We’ve named this Enhanced Immunisation Drive. There will be two shifts of vaccination up to 9 pm in the towns. Every village and tea garden will have a vaccination centre,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told journalists on Friday after reviewing the preparedness with all district magistrates, superintendents of police, and health officials.

    “If we can keep achieving the target till June 30, the Central government will provide us with more vaccines. So, we have to work keeping in mind the target,” he said.

    Assam on Friday had a stock of 7.29 lakh vaccine doses. Health officials said the state was receiving the vaccines on a regular basis from the Central government.

    “Since we are receiving the vaccines once in every two to three days, we are hopeful that we can keep achieving the target,” Munindra Nath Ngatey, Director of the state’s Health Services, told this newspaper.

    Over 52 lakh of Assam’s 3.30 crore population have been vaccinated. They include 10.3 lakh people who have received both doses.

  • Assam to soon implement its population policy in govt schemes

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Assam will soon implement its population policy in state government-sponsored schemes.

    “Whether it is a waiver of loans or government schemes, the government is going to implement the population norms in the near future,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

    He said initially the numbers would be kept on the higher side — up to four to five children. Families belonging to the tea garden community, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe will be exempted from the purview of population norms, he said.

    The “Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam” says persons with more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs and they cannot become members of panchayat and civic bodies. Such families will also not be considered for various benefits under government schemes. The policy came into effect on January 1 this year.

    ALSO READ | Keep families small, Assam CM Sarma tells Muslims

    Last week, Sarma had made an appeal to Assam’s migrant Muslims to plan small families. He had warned that if the state’s population continued to explode, there would be conflicts over space for living and the land of even Kamakhya temple and his house would be encroached one day.

    However, Opposition Congress was quick to dismiss his statement. Sharing the data of the latest National Family Health Survey, undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and released in December 2020, the party said the total fertility rate (TFR) across most Indian states declined in the last five years.

    “The TFR is defined as the average number of children that would be born to a woman by the time she ends childbearing. A TFR of 2.1 is known as the replacement rate. The fertility rate of less than 2.1 implies that the total population will be less than the existing population which is also called the negative growth rate…

    “As per the same survey, the fertility rate of women in Assam has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 1.9 in 2020-21 and 1.9 is less than 2.1 which means the future population of Assam will only be less than the current population,” the Congress had said.