STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to halt two nights in every district instead of daylong visits. Talking to newsmen in New Delhi on Thursday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The Prime Minister advised me on good governance. We had talks from floods to peace talks with militant groups.
"He advised me to visit every district and stay out there for two nights to know the problems there. He, however, advised me not to opt for daylong visits to districts with helicopters. I'll follow this advice and visit every district one by one every seven to ten days.
"The Prime Minister also advised me to give responsibility to every minister and to talk to a group of eight MLAs of both ruling and Opposition parties every week to know the problems of their respective LACs (Legislative Assembly Constituencies), and place their issues before the Cabinet for resolutions."
Sarma also said that he had talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on various issues like drugs, COVID-19 and peace talks with militant groups. "The peace process with militants in Karbi Anglong is almost final. We're going to sign a peace agreement with a militant group within a week," he said.
On talks with the ULFA, Sarma said, "The ULFA says that 'sovereignty should be in the agenda for the peace talks. However, no people's representative who takes an oath to protect the sovereignty of the nation can compromise it. However, all the three parties – the ULFA, the State Government and the people of Assam – want peace back in the State. We need to strike a happy medium to initiate talks with the ULFA. Both the State and the Central governments are trying to find a solution."
On the COVID-19 situation in the State, the Chief Minister said, "The situation has improved a lot. Within the next 20 days, the problem of scarcity of vaccines will be tackled to a large extent in the State. We'll get 19 lakh vaccine doses in June and 35 lakh in July. By December we'll be able to vaccinate all in the State. If the detection of new COVID-19 positive cases in Kamrup (M) falls below 200 per day, we'll relax the ongoing curfew to an extent."
On HSLC (High School Leaving Certificate) and HS (Higher Secondary) examinations, the Chief Minister said, "The moot point is not holding the examinations, but the sequence. We need to rack our brains on the cut-off marks, admissions in colleges in universities in Delhi, admission in medical and engineering courses and the like. It behoves us to follow the CBSE modalities on all such issues. Our decision on this front should be in sync with that of the CBSE.
"We'll have to take a practical decision as guardians of the students. I take into consideration the students who aspire to pursue medical and engineering courses and the admission criteria to be followed."
On drugs, the Chief Minister said, "We need to protect the next generation from the ill effects of drugs. Assam will be free from drugs only when the State police force will be active against the menace. The police have already started to act against drug peddlers."
Also Read: Peace Treaty to be Signed with Insurgent Groups of Karbi Anglong Next Week: CM Himanta Biswa