Three years in office

The present BJP-led coalition government in Assam, headed by Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, has completed three years of being in office. The government, however, has not been in a position to mark the occasion with a befitting celebration owing to the Model Code of Conduct in force due to the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Despite the restrictions, the Chief Minister has himself made a statement that his government has been making an all-out effort in the past three years to take Assam to new heights with new economic, social, cultural, and security aspects. Seeking the support, blessings, and cooperation of the people, the Chief Minister has also said that the past three years have been a saga of Vikash—development—with the focus remaining mostly on infrastructure development, social equality, and education. Construction of roads and bridges has definitely seen a never-before kind of boost in the past three years, while the fight against several social evils, including child marriage and drugs, has brought relief to thousands of families across the state. Serious efforts made to settle Assam’s inter-state boundary disputes with Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland have also brought new hopes for regional cooperation. The present government also deserves praise for having brought almost all rebel groups, barring the Paresh Barua faction of ULFA, to the mainstream in the past couple of years. The issuance of land pattas to thousands of indigenous families under Mission Basundhara, on the other hand, has enabled these families to ensure their land rights. The promise of providing jobs to one lakh youth has been by and large fulfilled, but creating livelihood opportunities continues to remain a huge challenge. What is probably seriously required is a massive campaign to change the mindset of the people and divert their energy towards fruitful and productive activities instead of looking for government jobs. This, in turn, will definitely contribute in a big way towards boosting the state government’s own revenue generation efforts. Wasteful and preventable expenditures too have plagued the state government for a long time, but what amount of money has been saved through certain measures adopted by the present regime is yet to be known. Another significant achievement of the present government is bringing the ‘bandh’ culture to an end. Bandhs and blockades called by various organisations—most of which are unregistered and hence illegal—and forcible collection of donations have caused massive economic loss to Assam in the past several decades. With only two years left of the five-year term of this government, it is now time for the Chief Minister to spell out his priorities for the remaining period of his first term.