15th Assam Legislative Assembly: Recovery of xatra land, peace talks, Bill on cows hog limelight

Governor's address to House

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The recovery of xatra lands, bringing a bill on the protection of cows, welcome to the unilateral ceasefire by the ULFA-I and the release of abducted ONGC employee Ritul Saikia etc were reflected in the Governor's address to the first session of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly on Saturday.

Addressing the House on a gamut of issues, Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi said, "A task force will be constituted to recover the lands of the xatras and places of worship (namghars) from the illegal encroachments. We will also continue to strengthen the xatras by providing them grants-in-aid.

"The cow considered a sacred animal as it nurtures us through life-sustaining milk. I am happy to inform you that my Government plans to introduce the Cow Protection Bill in the next Assembly session. The proposed bill envisages the imposition of a complete ban on the transport of cattle outside the State.

"Recently, the ULFA (I) has announced a unilateral ceasefire for three months. However, the announcement of a ceasefire without ground rules may not yield the desired results. Nonetheless, my Government considers the announcement of the ceasefire a step in the positive direction. I urge ULFA leadership to set in motion the process to devise the ground rules during the period of ceasefire. I am sure that during this important ceasefire period of three months if agreed ground rules are adhered to and the situation remains violence-free, it will create a conducive environment for a structured discussion. I would like to mention that the release of Ritul Saikia by ULFA(I) is a welcome step in this direction."

The Governor said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought about peace and development in the Bodoland area with the signing of the historic Bodo Peace Accord 2020 and the formation of the Bodo Territorial Region (BTR). "In a similar vein, my Government has been in discussion with militant outfits in Karbi Anglong, which has progressed well so far. We are hopeful that in Karbi Anglong too, there will be a new dawn in the region," he said.

On the COVID vaccination, the Governor said that the Government of India has been providing vaccines free of cost to the State government for the age group of 45 years and above. "In case of the age group of 18 to 44 years, my Government is committed to providing vaccination free of cost in all Government health institutions," he said.

On floods, he said, "Making Assam flood-proof is also a priority area for my government. To this effect, 'Misson Brahmputra' will be launched with the intent of preventing loss of lives, livelihood and properties through a multipronged strategy involving dredging of the river and building reservoirs to store excess water from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. My Government is going to set up a special organization with larger autonomy and flexibility within the Water Resource Department so that we can achieve our targets in the shortest possible time," he said.

The Governor said that the Government is committed to providing jobs to the youth of Assam and has, to this effect, decided to start the process of recruitment of one lakh educated unemployed youths in various Government sector jobs.

The Government has also approved the increase of the State Government's equity share in NRL from 12.35 per cent to 26 per cent, he said.

Other thrust areas are steady and sustained economic growth, revenue mobilization, higher budgetary outlay, timely submission of utilization certificates, increased development expenditure, etc.

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