GUWAHATI: As the Supreme Court set deadline of July 30 for publication of final draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) is fast approaching , Assam chief minister , Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said the state government was duty-bound to provide safety and security to all sections of the people of the state.
Dispelling the apprehensions over publication of complete draft of the NRC, Sonowal while addressing a women conclave at Karimganj in Bengali-majority Barak Valley in South Assam said that state government would provide safety and security to all Indians living in Assam. No one should be worried about the after affect of NRC publication as adequate measures had already been taken to bring all Indian citizens within the ambit of security of the state, he added.
Addressing the same conclave state finance minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma announced that the state government would release Rs. 500 crore package for development of roads in Barak valley.
Underscoring the development agenda of the government, Chief Minister Sonowal urged the people belonging to Barak and Brahmaputra valley to work hand in hand for all-inclusive development of Assam. Stating the importance of Karimganj district as a core contributor to the promotion of trade and commerce of India with neighbouring country, Chief Minister Sonowal said that Sutarkandi International Trade Centre at Karimganj would be developed as a state-of-the-art trade centre to boost bilateral trade and commerce.
Referring to the importance of women folk in the state, Sonowal appealed to all representatives of the SHGs at the Mahila Samaroh to make good use of the fund given by the government. He said that empowerment of women would lead to empowerment to every family which would ultimately lead to making of a prosperous Assam. He also called upon the youths of the state to make use of Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment Mission (SVAYEM) and also urged them to lend their hands to help the government to continue its uncompromised tirade against corruption. He also asked them to work to strengthen the democratic values of the society.
Finance Minister Dr Sarma reiterated the state government’s commitment to empower the women and said that financial grant given by the government under Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Achoni would increase upto Rs five lakh in contrast to the previous government’s grant which was only Rs five thousand in five years.
He also said that the state government had decided to enable the unmarried daughter of each government employee to enjoy family pension after the death of parents. He also said that the state would launch old age pension scheme on 2nd October wherein all the people above 60 years of age irrespective of their economic affiliation would be entitled to old age pension.
Synchronizing with the occasion, Chief Minister Sonowal started the proceeding of handing over cheques as part of revolving fund of Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Achoni to 3072 Self-Help Groups from Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency.
Earlier, Chief Minister Sonowal also laid the foundation stone of flood light system for Karimganj DSA playground.