GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday highlighted the historic initiative of the Prime Minister Modi-led Central government for restoring peace in region through steps such as signing of pact for the settlement of Bru refugees, signing of Bodo Accord and Indo-Bangla land boundary settlement amongst other peace initiatives.
The senior BJP leader today laid the foundation of a second medical college in Guwahati in presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme held at Kumar Bhaskar Barman Kshetra at Amingaon, Kamrup.
The super speciality medical college, being set up for a total cost of Rs 755 crore, would include a medical education wing at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Chest Hospital Complex at Kalapahar and super speciality wings at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in the city.
Union Home Minister Shah also ceremonially distributed financial assistance to namghars (vaishnvite community prayer halls and cultural centres) under Asom Darshan scheme.
Notably, 6972 out of total 8000 namghars will be developed in the first phase and an amount of Rs 2.50 lakh is being allocated to each namghar under the scheme through which the namghars will be developed as community centres for the uplift of the society. The total amount earmarked for the project is Rs 200 crores.
At the same programme, the Union Home Minister laid the foundation of development and beautification project of Batadrava Than, the birthplace of social reformer and proponent of neo vaishnavism Srimanta Sankardev, in Nagaon. The project, worth Rs 188 crore, entails development of the Than as a centre of art, culture and spiritualism while turning it into a place of tourist attraction.
Moreover, the Union Home Minister ceremonially launched the construction work of 9 law colleges in the state at Diphu, Silchar, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Nalbari, Rangia and Raha for a total cost of Rs 33 crore.
Saying that the previous Congress governments both in centre and state did not take steps for development of NE and Assam, the Union Home Minister informed that Prime Minister Modi released Rs.8000 crore oil royalty that was due to Assam for a long time and also took steps for posthumously conferring Bharat Ratna to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.
Lauding the efforts of the State government for bringing rapid development to Assam, Shah highlighted steps such as setting up of 5 new medical colleges in the State and steps for setting up 6 more such medical colleges, transferring money to the bank accounts of 7.5 lakh beneficiaries in tea garden areas, providing wage compensation to pregnant women in tea garden areas, scholarships to meritorious students from poor economic backgrounds etc.