Tag: Himanta Biswa Sarma

  • Aim at inoculating 30% of Assam’s population by August 15 if vaccines available: CM

    The pace of immunisation for people in the 18-44 years age bracket will be slow till the first week of the next month, the chief minister said.

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma takes stock of COVID situation in Assam-West Bengal border areas

    By PTI
    DHUBRI/SRIRAMPUR: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday visited the Assam-West Bengal interstate border at Chagolia in Dhubri and Srirampur in Kokrajhar district to review COVID-19 testing and screening of passengers entering the state.

    These two borders are important corridors and the success of the fight against COVID depends on better management of these borders, Sarma told reporters.

    While Cooch Behar in West Bengal shares boundary with Dhubri, Jalpaiguri is on another side of Kokrajhar.

    The chief minister took stock of the COVID-19 testing centre set up at Chagolia and the steps taken to conduct testing on incoming vehicle drivers and passengers.

    He reviewed the vehicle entry data through the border gate with the district administration and directed the authoritiex to increase RT-PCR testing to bring down the high positivity rate in the district.

    The chief minister said that except Guwahati, the COVID scenario is not improving substantially in other parts of the state and though positivity rate is coming down, the number of people getting infected is not decreasing considerably.

    “There is, however, indication of the situation improving in the next ten days”, he said.

    Sarma also directed that micro containment zones be declared in areas with high positivity rate while ramping up vaccination in the vulnerable urban pockets.

    He said that Dhubri Medical College would be made operational within next year.

    Notably, rapid antigen tests have been conducted on 14,306 people entering Assam through the Chagolia gate in 3438 vehicles since April 24 and out of them, 528 people have tested positive.

    Among them 271 were allowed home quarantine while 153 have been provided with institutional quarantine.

    The chief minister during the review at Srirampur directed the Kokrajhar district administration to increase testing and conduct 20 per cent RT-PCR of all COVID tests.

    He said that while coronavirus positivity rate has gone down in the district, still around 60 to 90 positive cases are detected every day.

    Sarma said that the district administration has been directed to gradually decrease home quarantine of positive patients as the chances of COVID outbreak in villages is potentially higher in case of home isolation.

    He also said that the administration has been instructed to intensify RAT and RT-PCR testing.

    The chief minister further mentioned that while 1.20 lakh Covid tests were conducted in the state on Monday, daily COVID cases hovers around six thousand.

    Sarma said that the state government continued its efforts to ramp up health infrastructure including adding more ICU beds, increasing oxygen availability etc.

    He also said that the state government plans to set up oxygen plant in every district hospital to meet future oxygen demand.

    The chief minister said that there is adequate stock of oxygen in the state and Assam is supplying 15 metric tonne of oxygen to several neighbouring NE states.

    Moreover, Assam would receive 160 MT of oxygen every week through Oxygen Express, which would come twice weekly with 80 MT capacity per trip, he added.

    Replying to a query that people from outside the state in the age group from 18-44 were taking COVID vaccine in Assam, the Sarma said that he would immediately take necessary steps on this issue.

    He also informed that with a view to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities and medicines in the state, COVID test of drivers of goods carriers are being conducted at their final destination.

  • ‘Inappropriate, insulting’: Assam CM faces Opposition heat over comment on Akhil Gogoi’s mental health

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Congress and the Raijor Dal of Akhil Gogoi on Tuesday separately described the statement of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the assembly that the jailed anti-CAA activist and MLA is a patient of mental disease as “highly inappropriate” and “insulting”.

    The state Congress said that the chief minister’s comment is extremely unfortunate as society is still fighting against the stigma on mental health issues.

    “Such a statement on the mental health condition of an opposition leader who is not even present in the august house is highly insensitive, undignified and unbecoming of a person who is occupying the highest position in the state,” the Congress said in a release.

    Accusing Sarma of violating a patient’s right to privacy by divulging his ailments publicly, the Raijor Dal formed by Gogoi ahead of the assembly election said that the matter will be taken up with the appropriate authority.

    “He (Gogoi) was informed that he is not in a sound mental state. He is getting treatment for psychological issues. He is getting treatment on emotional imbalance and mental disease,” the chief minister said in the assembly on Monday, the last of a three-day session.

    On May 21, the first day of the session, the RTI activist-turned-politician came to the assembly to take oath as an MLA after obtaining permission from a Special NIA Court.

    He is currently in judicial custody.

    The NIA had arrested Gogoi in December 2019 for his alleged role in violent anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across the state.

    He was last year admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treating COVID-19 and he remains there for other ailments.

    On May 21, he requested Speaker Biswajit Daimary to write to the authorities concerned for allowing him to attend the remaining two days of the session.

    The next day, a letter from the Home and Political Department headed by the chief minister advised Gogoi to approach the NIA court as his case is sub-judice, Raijor Dal working president Bhasco de Saikia said in a video message to the media.

    He accused Sarma of misleading the Assembly by informing it that there is no law and order issue in Akhil Gogoi attending the House but the Independent MLA was not allowed as he is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

    “Now who are we to believe the Home Department or the government? The Home Department must have issued the letter after consulting its head who is the chief minister,” he said.

    On the chief minister’s “attempt to prove” Gogoi’s mental illness by saying that the Raijor Dal leader violated COVID-19 protocols as he went to each members seat to greet them, Saikia asked, “Should one assume that Sarma is also mentally ill as he met people at various places in violation of COVID protocols?” “Whether Gogoi should be in jail or in hospital or whether he is fit enough to be present in Assembly is to be decided by the court as the matter is sub-judice,” the Congress said in the release.

    Assam Congress president Ripun Bora termed the chief ministers statement as unparliamentary and inappropriate, the release said.

    Gogoi, who defeated the BJP’s Surabhi Rajkonwari from the Sibsagar constituency, is the first Assamese to win an election from behind the bars without any physical campaigning.

  • Senior doctors to be on duty at odd hours for efficient management of COVID patients: Assam CM

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Senior doctors will be on duty during odd hours so that COVID-19 patients get the same level of treatment throughout the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after making a surprise visit to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital in the early hours of Sunday.

    Sarma made the unannounced visit to GMCH at 2.30 am to see for himself the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Emergency Ward at night, an official release said.

    Asserting that it has been one of the priorities of the state government to step up midnight critical care services in all the medical colleges of the state, the chief minister expressed satisfaction over the arrangements put in place to meet the emergency needs of coronavirus patients.

    He also iterated his gratitude to doctors, nursing staff, and other paramedical staff for their round-the-clock services.

    The chief minister also visited the oxygen plant set up at the GMCH premises.

    On the COVID-19 situation, the chief minister said that though the number of positive cases in several parts of the capital city is reportedly coming down, the government, under no circumstance, would lower its guard against the pandemic.

    “Works are going on to ramp up the infrastructure and the COVID-19 hospital at Sarusajai would be equipped with 300 beds,” he added.

    During the day, Sarma reviewed the management of the pandemic situation, preparedness to deal with the crisis, and strict enforcement of restrictions with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of all the districts through video conference.

    “I directed DCs to regularly visit District Hospitals from today and ensure efficient odd hour management of critical Covid patients even late in the night,” he tweeted.

    Sarma also asked the authorities concerned to entrust one additional deputy commissioner in each district with the responsibility of vaccine centres.

    “Directed SPs to enforce stringent restrictions to contain the pandemic while ensuring containment zone regulations. In this time of distress we must give the best service with a humane heart,” he added.

  • Assam NRC authority moves SC seeking re-verification of register

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Highlighting “major irregularities” in the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951 in Assam, the NRC authority has moved the Supreme Court seeking a comprehensive and time-bound re-verification of the register.

    NRC State Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma had filed an interlocutory application on May 8. It was accepted on May 11. The NRC was updated under the direct monitoring of the Supreme Court.

    He prayed that the SC passes appropriate directions for a complete, comprehensive, and time-bound re-verification of the draft NRC as well as the supplementary list of NRC under the provision of Clause 4(3) of the Schedule of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003, where major irregularities have been highlighted in the body of the instant application”.

    “Pass appropriate directions that the re-verification is done under the supervision of a monitoring committee in the respective districts and such committee may be preferably represented by the respective District Judge, District Magistrate & Superintendent of Police. Pass such other or further directions as Your Lordships may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case,” he prayed.

    The entire NRC process had started in 2013 based on a petition filed by an organisation, Assam Public Works. Over 19.06 lakh people were left out of the final draft, published in August 2019. The final NRC will be published by the Registrar General of India.

    ALSO READ | All civil hospitals in Assam to have their own oxygen plants: Health Minister Keshab Mahanta

    Those who missed the NRC bus can challenge their exclusion at a foreigners’ tribunal. The process has not started yet as the NRC authority is yet to give the “rejection slips” to the excluded. It is delayed as “issues of substantive importance” cropped up.

    Citing anomalies, Sarma in his application wrote that on June 28, 2019, the District Magistrate of Kamrup had submitted a report stating that 1,43,522 people applied for NRC under Chamaria Circle, and out of it, 64,247 were marked as Original Inhabitants (OIs). Their names were entered in the draft NRC. However, after some random verification, it emerged that 14,183 did not fall under the category of OIs.

    “A special verification was hurriedly carried out against 30,791 people under Chamaria Circle… During re-verification, 7,446 persons were found ineligible for inclusion in the supplementary list of NRC. The disturbing fact is that out of these 7,446 people found ineligible, as many as eight were declared foreigners, two were descendants of declared foreigners, 19 were doubtful voters, 43 were descendants of doubtful voters, 13 cases were pending in the foreigners’ tribunal, and 10 were descendants of persons whose matters were pending in the foreigners’ tribunals,” the application reads.

    The application also said although office and field verification helped in the preparation of the NRC, this cannot be said error-free and conclusive.

    “The office verification process had helped in detection of only forged documents; it could in no manner help detect any manipulated/manufactured secondary document….For example, a name in the electoral roll may be verified through back-end verification but the office verification cannot detect whether the name in the electoral roll was entered fraudulently with the strength of some forged/manipulated documents,” Sarma wrote.

  • Senior IAS officer Samir Sinha appointed Assam CM’s Principal Secretary

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Senior IAS officer Samir Kumar Sinha has been appointed the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, an official order said.

    Sinha was the principal secretary in the Health and Family Welfare department.

    The 1994 batch IAS officer, known to be a confidante of Sarma was relieved of his duties from the Health and Family Welfare as well as Transformation and Development departments.

    Sinha will, however, continue to function as the Principal Secretary of the Finance Department and Additional Principal Resident Commissioner of Assam Bhawan, New Delhi, the order said.

    Paban Kumar Borthakur who was Additional Chief Secretary to former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has been transferred to the Transformation and Development and Cultural Affairs Departments, an order issued by the Personnel Department on Monday night said.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and 13 other ministers of the NDA took oath on Monday.

    The BJP alliance is the first non-Congress government in the state to win the elections for the second consecutive term.

  • Proud moment for Cotton University as Himanta Sarma becomes the institute’s seventh alumnus to don Assam CM’s hat

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: When Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam on Monday, he joined the league of six other alumni of Cotton University, a premier educational institution of the Northeastern region, who occupied the state’s top executive post.

    The state’s first chief minister, Bharat Ratna awardee Gopinath Bordoloi, was also a student of Cotton College in Guwahati, which became a university in 2011.

    The other five chief ministers who were alumni of the college were Mahendra Mohan Chowdhury, Sarat Chandra Sinha, Jogendra Nath Hazarika, Hiteswar Saikia and Bhumidhar Barman.

    The first Premier of Assam Province before Independence, Sir Syed Muhammad Saadulla, was also a student of Cotton College set up in 1901 by Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam.

    Former Nagaland Chief Minister P.Shilu Ao was also a student of Cotton College.

    Sarma was the general secretary of the Cotton College Students’ Union in 1992.

    In that year, it became a Centre of Excellence as declared by then President Shankar Dayal Sharma paving the way for it to become a post-graduate college.

    It was upgraded to a university in 2011 as Cotton College State University by an Assam Government Act.

    Cotton College during its 119 years of existence has nurtured some of the best minds in the state.

    They include singer, lyricist, and filmmaker Bhupen Hazarika, Indologist Krishna Kanta Handique, litterateur Padmashree Surya Kumar Bhuyan, former governors Debananda Konwar and Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, and former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

  • ‘Aim to make Assam one among top five states’: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: New Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Monday said controlling the “alarming” COVID-19 situation in the state is his first priority and his aim will be to make the state one of the top five in the ccountry in the next five years.

    Sarma, who was addressing the press after being sworn in, appealed to all insurgent groups of Assam, specially ULFA (I) to lay down arms and join the mainstream to sort out their issues and establish lasting peace in the state.

    He said the first cabinet meeting of the second BJP government in the state will be held on Tuesday to discuss the prevailing situation vis a vis the COVID-19 pandemic and decide on measures to contain it.

    Sarma, who is also the convenor of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance, said his other objectives will be to fulfill all poll promises like providing one lakh jobs every year, waiving off microfinance loans and to make the state free from the perennial floods.

    “My aim will be to make Assam one of the top five Indian states in the next five years. We want to take development to newer heights and bring peace among all castes, creeds and communities. We will start working from tomorrow to fulfill this aim,” he asserted.

    ALSO READ | Himanta Biswa Sarma: Man of the Match of the Assam elections

    On the “alarming” COVID-19 situation in the Assam, he said unless the pandemic is controlled in the state, the cases due to it will not go down in the rest of the north east states.

    “The COVID-19 situation in Assam is alarming and my first job will be to control it. Our daily cases have crossed 5,000 mark. In our cabinet meeting tomorrow, we will discuss it from all perspectives. We will take measures to contain the cases. The new government will take every possible measure to contain the spread (of coronavirus),” Sarma said.

    Sarma took oath on Monday after he was unanimously elected the leader of BJP Legislature Party and the NDA Legislature Party on Sunday, ending the week-long speculations about who would lead the only non-Congress government to return to power for the second successive term in Assam.

    On ending insurgency in the state, he said “I request Paresh Barua (the commander-in-chief of the banned ULFA(I)) to abjure armed struggle and join talks to solve the problems.

    Kidnappings and killings complicate problems, not solve them.

    I hope we will be able to bring back the underground insurgents to the mainstream in the next five years,” he added.

    The outfit has been repsonsible for many killings and kidnappings, the latest being that of three ONGC employees from the pubblic sector company’s Lakwa oil rig in Sivasagar district along the Assam-Nagaland border in April this year.

    Following this security forces had ramped up its counter- insurgency operations and killed a top ULFA(I) commander and arrested one of his aides.

    Asked to comment on the contentious National Register of Citizens (NRC), the new chief minister said his government wants reverification of 20 per cent names in the border districts of Assam, and 10 per cent in the rest of the districts.

    “If very negligible error is found, then we can go with the existing NRC.

    But if huge anomalies are found in reverification, then I hope the court will take note of this and do the needful with a new perspective,” he said without elaborating.

    Sarma said that the government will also try to solve the controversies surrounding the definition of indigenous people in respect to NRC and citizenship issues by talking to all segments of the society in the next five years.

    On BJP’s promise of bringing in a law against ‘love jehad’, he said “Each promise made is meant to be implemented. Every promise is solemn for us. We will do everything possible to fulfill them.”

    He said his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal led the state in the path of peace and development during the last five years and the new government will take forward the same with “renewed pace”.

    Asked about giving ST status to six tribes as promised by BJP in 2016, Sarma said “We will see to it that there is no impact on the existing communities.

    We will discuss this with all stakeholders and proceed accordingly.”

    About the state’s financial condition, Sarma, who was the finance minister of the Sarbananda Sonowal cabinet, said that there is Rs 7,000 crore in the treasury and all developmental works will continue in the coming period.

    “We have one of the best fiscal situations. I want to tell everyone that there is absolutely no cause of concern on the financial condition of Assam,” Sarma said.

    The Assam government will ensure protection of women and punish those harming their dignity.

  • Assam CM Himanta appeals to ULFA chief Paresh Baruah to come forward for peace talks  

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: In his maiden media briefing as the Chief Minister of Assam on Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to Paresh Baruah, the self-styled “commander-in-chief” of the insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to come forward for peace talks.

    “A dialogue with the ULFA is a two-way traffic. Paresh Baruah has to come forward. Similarly, we have to go to him. If both sides have the will, communication won’t be difficult,” Sarma said.

    He said peace returned to Bodoland Territorial Region and Karbi Anglong after the Centre signed peace pacts with the various insurgent groups.

    “Over the past five years (under the BJP government), people saw a process of peace and development in Assam. Peace returned to Bodo areas and Karbi Anglong. Our efforts now will be to bring the remaining rebel groups to the talks table for the establishment of permanent peace in the state,” the CM said.

    Appealing to Baruah and other ULFA members to join the peace process, he said killings and abductions will not solve problems. He was optimistic that the government will be able to bring all groups, still wielding the gun, to the mainstream within the next five years.

    ALSO READ | Once blue-eyed boy of Tarun Gogoi, Himanta Sarma gets reward for expanding BJP in Northeast

    Sarma said the first priority of his government will be to contain the Covid pandemic, stating that the situation in the state was alarming.

    The first meeting of the state Cabinet will be held on Tuesday and the CM said the government will try to fulfil all pre-poll promises, which include making Assam flood-free.

    On the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he said the government will favour 20% re-verification of documents in the districts that share a border with Bangladesh and 10% re-verification elsewhere.

    “If the old draft of the NRC is found to be flawless during the re-verification process, we will go ahead with it. But if anomalies are detected, we will want the Supreme Court to see to it,” he said.

    The NRC of 1951 was updated in Assam under the direct monitoring of the apex court. Over 19 lakh people were left out of the draft.

    Asked if his government will bring in a law against “love jihad” and “land jihad” (a way to force people sell off their lands), Sarma said, “The poll promises are solemn for us. We will implement each one of them.”

    Stating that the state government has Rs 7000 crore in the treasury, he said Assam was one of the best fiscally-managed states in the country and there was absolutely no cause of concern.

    Earlier in the day, Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma. Thirteen others were also sworn in as Cabinet Ministers.

    Three of them belong to two BJP allies. They are Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora, its working president Keshab Mahanta and former Rajya Sabha member UG Brahma of the United People’s Party Liberal.

    The BJP ministers are party’s state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Parimal Suklabaidya, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Ajanta Neog, Ranoj Pegu, Sanjay Kishan, Jogen Mohan, Ashok Singhal, Pijush Hazarika and Bimal Bora.

    Brahma (UPPL), Pegu, Singhal and Bora are first-time ministers.

    Neog, the only woman in the ministry, had defected to the BJP from the Congress in December last year.

    Some CMs of northeastern states were among dignitaries who attended the swearing-in ceremony. Before taking the oath, Sarma had visited the Kamakhya and a few other temples. 

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma to take oath as 15th Assam CM today

    Himanta Biswa Sarma, the charioteer of BJP’s stride in the Northeast, is now the brightest star in the political spectrum in the city of eastern lights. The 52-year-old leader is all set to swear in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam on Monday.

    Sarma was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party in Assam on Sunday. He will replace Sarbananda Sonowal, who tendered his resignation as Assam Chief Minister to Governor Jagadish Mukhi on Sunday.

    The Governor also accepted Biswa Sarma’s claim for chief ministership and asked him to form the government. He will take his oath as the Chief Minister at 12 noon today.

    On being announced the Chief Minister of the state Sarma took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the people of the state.

    “With fragrance of Assam in my heart & love of my wonderful people in my veins, I offer my deepest gratitude to you all. I would not have been what I am had it not been for your pious faith in me. On this Day, I vow to work with & for each one of you with greater passion Assam,” he tweeted.

    In another tweet, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “This is the biggest day in my life, and I so fondly cherish your generous affection. I assure you we shall leave no stone unturned to carry forward your vision of taking Assam, & NE to greater heights.”