GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday reiterated that the state government would ensure that name of no genuine Indian citizen living in Assam would be left out of the final updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) and at the same time name of no foreign national would be included in it.
Addressing the people of Assam on the 72nd Independence Day from the central celebration venue at Khanapara Veterinary Play Ground here, Sonowal said it was only the final draft NRC that had been published on July 30 last and left out genuine citizens were being given ample scope to get their names registered in the final draft.
The chief minister lauded the sincere efforts of 55,000 government employees who were involved in preparing the updated NRC and also about 70,000 police personnel deployed for maintenance of law and order in the wake of publication of the final draft NRC.
Reiterating the state government’s commitment to maintain zero tolerance to corruption, Sonowal informed that 52 persons including ousted chairman of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Rakesh Pal and government officials had been arrested so far in connection with ‘cash for job’ scam in the APSC while corruption had decreased in the state because of the firm stand maintained by the government against it. He informed that 45,000 employees had been recruited to different government departments in the state since the present government came to power in 2016.
Regarding the problem of infiltration from Bangladesh, Sonowal said a hi-tech project had been undertaken to seal the river border with Bangladesh.
To address the concern of indigenous people over the land rights, Sonowal said, “A committee has been formed to formulate new land policy in the state as per recommendation of Hari Shankar Brahma Committee in order to protect the land rights of indigenous people.”
The Chief Minister claimed that rhino poaching had gone down considerably in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) where forest guards had been provided with modern weapons to fight the rhino poachers. He said 170 rhino poachers had been arrested in the state during the last two years and ten fast track courts had been set up to try the rhino poachers. The government has built 33 artificial highlands within the KNP to provide shelter to animals during the flood that occurs in the park every year.
Sonowal further said that the government was thinking in innovative ways to provide succour to people hit by perennial flood problem in the state. He said a pilot project worth Rs 50 crore had been initiated to build raised community shelter homes to give shelter to flood-hit in the state.
The Chief Minister said the state government would deal very firmly with crimes committed against women and fast tracks courts are being set up to try cases of crime against women.
