News Analysis India

Tag: Himanta Biswa Sarma

  • ‘No govt jobs, benefits for thoses with more than 2 kids’: Assam set to enact its population policy 

    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.

  • Assam to gradually implement two-child norm for availing benefits under some schemes: CM Sarma

    The chief minister, who assumed office last month, has been advocating a two-child norm for using benefits under the government schemes.

  • Two tribal sisters were either murdered or they ended their lives under duress: Assam CM Himanta

    GUWAHATI: The bodies of two sisters, both minors, were found hanging from a tree in Assam’s Kokrajhar district and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it appeared to be a case of murder or suicide under duress.

    “The two tribal girls died under mysterious circumstances. Prima facie, it looks like a case of murder or suicide under duress,” Sarma told journalists after visiting the family on Sunday.

    “Lives have been lost. We want the police to find out why the lives have been lost and for whom,” he said.

    The bodies, found inside a forest in Abhayakuti village under Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) on Friday night, were sent to Civil Hospital, Kokrajhar for autopsy. 

    The police detained five persons for questioning. Sarma said two of them deleted their mobile records but the police had evidence that they spoke to the girls for one to one and half hours.

    Sarma said he had talked to the Inspector General of Police, BTR and Superintendent of Police, Kokrajhar to take the probe to its logical end.

    “According to the family, there was no reason for them to commit suicide. If it is a case of murder, the murderers will be tracked down and punished. If it was suicide, we would like to know the reasons behind it. I have instructed the police to probe both aspects,” he said.

    Stating that the government cannot accept the deaths of the two tribal girls from Rabha community which made him visit the place, he said he was hopeful the police would be able to crack the case.

    “Many families live under constant insecurity in Lower Assam. I came here to send across a message that this government will not tolerate any kind of torture of the poor and the downtrodden,” Sarma added.

    The family of the two girls, who were missing since Friday afternoon, claimed they were raped before being murdered.

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA’s 24×7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.)

  • Congress slams Himanta’s ‘encroachment’ remarks, says Assam women’s fertility rate on the decline

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Congress in Assam criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his statement that if the state’s population explosion continued, one day the land of even Kamakhya temple and his house would be encroached upon.

    The Congress said the statement was “unbecoming of a CM who is expected to be well versed in the demographic facts of the state”.

    Sharing the data of a survey, the party said the fertility rate of women in Assam declined over the last five years.

    The Congress said as per the latest National Family Health Survey, undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and released in December 2020, the total fertility rate (TFR) across most Indian states declined in the last five years.

    “The total fertility rate 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…

    ALSO READ | Adopt ‘decent family planning policy’ for population control: Assam CM to minority community

    “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 said.

    It said Sarma’s statement was misleading as there was no question of an increase in population as per the Ministry’s data.

    “If he is referring to population explosion that may happen in future due to immigration of people from Bangladesh and Pakistan after the implementation of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), then his concern is valid,” the Congress said sarcastically.

    Continuing with the sarcastic attack, the party assured the CM that it would take definite steps and do its best to save Kamakhya and his house from such encroachment.

    Sarma had on Thursday called upon the state’s migrant Muslims to “practise small family size” for poverty reduction. He had warned that there would be conflicts over space for living in the future if the state’s population continued to explode.

    The statement was made against the backdrop of eviction drives carried out at some places which drew criticism from some minority-based organisations.

  • Keep families small, Assam CM Sarma tells Muslims

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI:  Calling upon the minority community to “practise small family size” to reduce poverty, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday warned of conflicts for living space in future if the population continued to explode.

    The statement came against the backdrop of the eviction of 200 encroachers, mostly immigrant Muslims, drawing criticism from some quarters. Urging the minority-based political party AIUDF and All Assam Minority Students’ Union to work on population control, Sarma said a day would come when people would settle down on the land of Kamakhya Temple, leading to conflicts.

    He said his government would take steps to encourage population control. The government stands for the development of all communities but it will need community support, he said.  “To remove poverty, we have to educate Muslim women and control population. We are there to educate women. However, poverty will never get reduced unless you control your population,” Sarma said.

  • Assam to provide Covid widows one-time aid of Rs 2.5 lakh

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Assam government will pay one-time financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each to women, who have lost their husbands to Covid, from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

    Making the announcement on Thursday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Covid-induced widows will also be entitled to the benefits of “Arunodoi” scheme and the monthly widow pension under “Indira Miri Universal Widow Pension Scheme”.

    “The package will be of Rs 830 per month from Orunodoi, Rs 300 from widow pension and Rs 2.5 lakh as one-time assistance,” Sarma told journalists at a press conference on the occasion of completion of his government’s one month in office.

    Last month, the state government had announced the “Chief Minister Sishu Seva Scheme” for children orphaned by the pandemic. Under it, they will receive a financial support of Rs 3,500, including Central government support of Rs 2,000, on a monthly basis.

    Sarma on Thursday handed over the cheques of financial assistance to a few beneficiaries.

    ALSO READ | Adopt ‘decent family planning policy’ for population control: Assam CM to minority community

    An amount Rs 7,81,200 will be parked in the bank as fixed deposit (FD) in the name of each beneficiary. The monthly financial assistance, to be realised from the FD, will be given to the beneficiaries till they attain the age of 24 years. On the completion of 24 years, the amount parked as FD will be credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

    The scheme was announced on May 29 on the occasion of completion of seven years of Narendra Modi government in power. Within 10 days of the announcement, the financial assistance was transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

    Sarma said the scheme would enable the beneficiaries to lead a life of dignity.

    For children below 10 years and adolescent girls with no guardian, the state government will take steps to house them in one of the child care institutions and provide adequate funding for their upkeep, including educational expenditure.

    The orphaned adolescent girls will be given accommodation in suitable institutions to ensure their sensitive care and proper protection.

    Considering the marriage component of the scheme, the state government will extend one-time financial assistance. It will give one “tola” of gold under “Arundhati” scheme and Rs 50,000 to each girl. For skill development and training, laptops or tablets will be provided to school or college-going orphans for undergoing vocational training. All such students will

  • Adopt ‘decent family planning policy’ for population control: Assam CM to minority community

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Calling upon the minority community to adopt “decent family planning policy” for poverty reduction, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday warned that there would be conflicts over land in future if the state’s population continued to explode.

    The statement comes against the backdrop of eviction drives carried out at some places which drew criticism from some minority-based organisations.

    “Some political parties and organisations are seeking the rehabilitation of people evicted. If the state’s population keeps growing, a day will come when there will be a problem of living space and it will create conflicts,” Sarma told journalists.

    “The population is rising and people will need living space. I want to tell those who are saying there should not be any eviction drive that the government cannot allow people to settle down in forests, temples and ‘satras’ (Vaishnavite prayer centres),” he said.

    ALSO READ | Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma defends proposed cow protection bill in state

    Asking the minority-based political party All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) to think and work on population control, Sarma said a day would come when people would settle down on the land of Kamakhya temple. Since this will not be allowed by others, this will lead to conflicts, he said.

    He also said that the Assam government would take some more steps to encourage population control and urged AIUDF and AAMSU to work on this front. The government stands for the development of all communities but it will need community support, he said.

    “To remove poverty, we have to educate Muslim women and control population. We are there to educate women and reduce poverty. However, poverty will never get reduced unless you control your population,” Sarma said.

    If the Bodos and the Mishings had not practised small family size, they would have also been forced to go to forests and settle down there. In the last 20 years, no Bodo or Mishing encroached upon forest land. They adopted a different lifestyle to live with forests. They have conserved forests and created new ones, the CM said.

    Recently, the authorities evicted around 200 encroachers, mostly migrant Muslims, from over 400 bighas of government land in Hojai, Karimganj and Darrang districts. The AAMSU urged the government to stop harassing the minority people under a “communal agenda”.

    The Muslims constitute around 33% of Assam’s 3.30 crore population.

  • Assam replicates country’s civilian awards

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Assam government has instituted some awards replicating the country’s civilian awards.

    The Cabinet, which met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, decided to institute the “Asom Ratna” award to be presented every year to a person who has made significant contributions to the society.

    The Cabinet also decided to institute “Asom Bibhushan”, “Assam Bhushan” and “Asom Shree” awards. Asom Bibhushan will be presented to three persons, Assam Bhushan to five persons and Asom Shree to 10 persons every year.

    Asom Ratna, Asom Bibhushan, Asom Bhushan and Asom Shree will carry Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively with other benefits like free medical treatment of critical illness, free stay at Assam Bhawans, free travel in state-run buses etc.

    ALSO READ |  Assam logs 2,228 new COVID-19 cases, 37 deaths in 24 hours

    The Cabinet decided that in all government offices, the photographs of the President, Prime Minister and Assam’s first Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi will be displayed.

    The Cabinet also decided to confer “Literary Pension” in the name of litterateur Homen Borgohain on his birthday on December 7. Sports Pension will be conferred in the name of Arjun Bhogeswar Barua on his birthday on September 3. Artiste Award will be conferred on January 17 every year.

    Meanwhile, for the smooth implementation of Batadrava Than Cultural and Tourism Project, the Cabinet approved the allotment of additional land to the management committee.

    In a major administrative reform, the Cabinet approved the simplification of flood damage assessment and repairing of infrastructure. The district magistrates have been authorised to take necessary action in this regard within the timeframe of April 1 to October 31.

    In order to eliminate overloading by coal-laden trucks passing through Assam, the Cabinet decided to check their weights at two inter-state border gates. 

  • Doctor beaten up after Covid patient’s death will serve in a health institute of his choice: CM Himanta

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Seuj Kumar Senapati, a young doctor who was brutally beaten up recently by a group of people after a Covid patient’s death, would be allowed to serve in a health institute of his choice.”

    CM Himanta met Senapati at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on Saturday, where the latter is undergoing treatment.

    “Visited #GMCH to inquire about health of Dr Seuj Kumar Senapati, who was brutally assaulted by family members of a deceased patient on Tuesday. Also assured his family that Dr Senapati would be allowed to serve in a health Institute of his choice, when he resumes services,” Sarma tweeted.

    ALSO READ | Doctors in Assam boycott OPD services protesting assault on colleague, 24 assailants arrested

    He further wrote: “GoA stands firmly with doctors & medical fraternity who are leading from front in this pandemic with remarkable dedication. @assampolice has already initiated action against perpetrators. There will be zero tolerance against any assault on our doctors & healthcare workers.”

    So far, the police have arrested 26 people in connection with the incident which took place in Hojai district. The accused, who had also vandalised the hospital, are the family members and relatives of the deceased Covid patient, Giasuddin.

    The National Human Rights Commission, based on a complaint, has asked for the action taken report from the Assam Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police. 

    Visited #GMCH to inquire about health of Dr Seuj Kumar Senapati, who was brutally assaulted by family members of a deceased patient on Tuesday.Also assured his family that Dr Senapati would be allowed to serve in a health Institute of his choice, when he resumes services. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/voPVHIZURO
    — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 5, 2021

    Meanwhile, Dr Senapati’s family has refused to accept the monetary support of Rs 1 lakh offered by Lok Sabha member and All India United Democratic Front chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal. 

    Ajmal had condemned the incident and requested the government for speedy trial. He had also said that the guilty must be given exemplary punishment.

  • Decision on Assam class 12 exams after CBSE comes out with modalities: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said a decision on holding the class 12 exams in the state will be taken after the CBSE announces modalities for marking the students.

    Addressing a press conference on his first visit to the national capital as chief minister, he also said that all willing residents of Assam will be vaccinated by the end of December as more COVID-19 vaccines will be arriving in the state from this month onwards.

    Asked whether the class 12 exams conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will be cancelled, Sarma said a decision in this regard will be taken after consultation with all stakeholders as it is a question of a students’ future.

    The Union government on Tuesday decided to cancel the CBSE Class 12 board exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that the decision has been taken in the interest of students and that the anxiety among students, parents and teachers must be put to an end.

    “We welcome the decision taken by the prime minister. We will wait till the CBSE announces the modalities for marking the students.

    “We will have to take a practical decision as a guardian and take into consideration the students who aspire to pursue medical or engineering courses and what will be the admission criteria for them,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Uttar Pradesh Board cancels class 12 exams due to Covid-19 pandemic

    On the issue of peace talks with insurgent groups, the chief minister said a peace treaty will be signed with an insurgent group of Karbi Anglong district next week.

    Asked about the possibility of holding peace talks with major militant group ULFA, he said as elected public representatives, the ministers take oath to protect the sovereignty of India and it cannot be compromised.

    “The ULFA wants sovereignty. So, we will have to find out a way on how to start the peace process and as a chief minister I will contribute in whatever way I can to create a conducive atmosphere,” he said.

    On the issue of COVID-19 vaccination in Assam, Sarma said 13 lakh vaccines were received by the state in May while 19 lakh vaccines will be received in June and 35 lakh in July.

    “I am sure we will vaccinate all willing residents of Assam by the end of December,” he said.

    On the recent attack on a doctor engaged in COVID-19 duty, the chief minister said all those who were involved in the assault of the doctor were arrested and he has directed the police that investigation in the case should be completed in 15 days, charge sheet should be filed within a month and conviction should be ensured in three to six months.

    “I want to tell everyone that there is zero tolerance to such inhuman acts. We will hit back and there will be a bigger reaction to such action,” he said.

    Sarma said during his four-day visit to Delhi, he met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman among others.

    “The prime minister advised me that I should visit every district and stay two nights there to gauge the problems of that district instead of going for a day-long visit in a helicopter. I will follow this advice and visit every district one by one every seven to 10 days,” he said.

    Sarma also said the prime minister has advised him to give responsibility to every minister and to talk to a group of eight MLAs, both ruling and opposition parties, every week and place their issues before the cabinet for resolution.