CM announces Rs 5 crore for Assam Agitation Welfare Trust, Online database of those injured to be set up

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the Assam Accord Implementation Department to prepare an online database of those who were hit by bullets or otherwise seriously injured during their participation in the six-year-long Assam Agitation which ended in 1985.

The Chief Minister issued this directive while chairing a meeting of the Assam Agitation Welfare Trust at his Janata Bhawan office on Saturday, which was attended by the top leadership of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and a representative of the families affected during the Assam Agitation.

While discussing matters related to future tasks as well as measures required for strengthening the Assam Agitation Welfare Trust, the Chief Minister announced that an additional amount of Rs 5 crore would be provided to the Trust. The Trust was formed with an initial corpus of R 5 crore and with the addition of another Rs 5 crore as per the Chief Minister's directive, the Trust would now have a total corpus of Rs 10 crore at its disposal. This amount would be utilized to provide various relief measures to family members of the martyrs of the Assam Agitation and those grievously injured during the movement.

The proposed online database is aimed at facilitating identification of families/individuals affected by the Assam Agitation and their selection for benefits under government schemes.

The state government has already given an amount of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of 855 martyrs of the Assam Agitation. Moreover, an amount of Rs 2 lakh each has been given to 288 persons who had suffered serious injuries during the agitation.

Those who participated at Saturday's meeting included the Minister of the Assam Accord Implementation Department, Atul Bora, Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, AASU chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath, Chief Secretary Paban Kumar Borthakur, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Samir Kumar Sinha, and Chandrakanta Talukdar in his capacity as representative of the families affected during the Assam Agitation.

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