Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his fears over the changing demography of the state; he noted a decline in the Hindu population and a corresponding rise in the Muslim population.
In the Independence Day speech, Sarma said, “Hindu population has dropped to 57 per cent while Muslim population has risen to 41 per cent. This is a deep concern for us. The state government has been giving priority to maintaining the demographic balance in Assam and we are working towards safeguarding the rights of indigenous people.”
He explained that in the former Goalpara district, in Barpeta and other areas, the land belonging to the indigenous people will not be allowed to be sold to persons of other religions.
“The interfaith land transfer will be stopped in such places to safeguard the indigenous culture. The state government will bring a new act in this regard in the upcoming Assembly session,” Sarma said.
He also mentioned manifold future steps that would be taken towards better governance and infrastructure for the state. He said that on October 2, Mission Basundhara 3.0 will be launched for ensuring land of Guwahatians remains in the hands of indigenous people of the State and decreasing the woes of the people regarding land matters.
These programmes visualised setting up of 74 new districts or sub-divisions and declaring Chiknajhar in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts as eighth national park in the state. It is also formulating a State Domicile Policy and as per the policy, local candidates will get the first priority for appointment in state government jobs.
He further announced the launching of the Nijut Moina Scheme from October 10 for helping out the education of the girl children. Sarma added that the state government is going to distribute ration cards/family IDs to 20 lakh persons in the state of Assam.
On environment-related issues, Sarma spoke about the disposal of plastic wastes in drains and hill mining in Meghalaya, which was aggravating the water problems in Guwahati. He said 20 percent of urban waterlogging could be averted if construction on drains was not allowed and discharge of the plastic wastes stopped. He called upon the citizens to join in creating awareness for the same.
