STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev's contribution to literature and culture has given the Assamese people a pride of place on the global stage.
"Strong language and culture of a State are the pre-requisites for the development of a country. The 'Naamghar' culture adopted by Srimanta Sankardev will give Assam its due place in India," he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Shah said, "It's sad that the Congress never gave importance to what Srimanta Sankardev preached and practised. The neglect came to such a pass that the great man's place of birth has been allowed to be encroached upon by infiltrators. It's the BJP government at Dispur that has made the 'Borduwa Than' free from encroachments and started the Rs 186-crore project there today."
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for extending their support towards the development of Assam at a rapid pace. Referring to the vision of the Prime Minister on the Northeast as the 'Astalaxmi' of the country, he said that the State government has been relentlessly endeavouring to bring holistic development of all sections of the society.
Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "We want to make the 'Borduwa Than Development and Beautification Project' like the Golden Temple in Punjab — one of the most sought-after pilgrim centres."
Sarma thanked the Centre for extending a helping hand to the State for such works. "We've a plan to make Guwahati the medical hub of South East Asia," he said.
During his stay in Guwahati on Saturday, Shah laid the foundation stones of the second medical college in Guwahati at an estimated cost of Rs 775 crore, the 'Borduwa Than Development Project' at a cost of 186 crore and nine law colleges at an estimated cost of Rs 33 crore. He also initiated the process of extending funds to 8,000 naamghars at the rate of Rs 2.50 lakh each.
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