Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM announces measures for the development of Assam

The Prime Minister reviewed the entire gamut of issues concerning the development, security and welfare of the people of Assam, with the Chief Minister of Assam and prominent members of his Cabinet. On this occasion, the Council of Ministers submitted a memorandum.

2. The Prime Minister announced the following package of measures for the all-round development of Assam:-

2.1 The Government of India will set up a World-Class University in Assam. The State Government will provide suitable land.

2.2 Under the proposed Centrally Sponsored Scheme for "Model Schools", every Block in Assam will get one Model School.

2.3 The Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways will take up the OholaSadiya bridge which will be completed by 2013. The Numali-Gohpur bridge linking Jorhat to North Lakhimpur will also be taken up and completed by March 2013. The State Government will finalise the alignment and provide land at the earliest. The North Guwahati-South Guwahati link will be completed by December 2010.

2.4 The Government of India will provide the necessary assistance for setting up a Centre of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, in Assam.

2.5 The Central Government will set up a national design institute at Guwahati, on the pattern of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad ..

2.6 The North East Industrial Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) will be suitably reworked so as to provide maximum advantage.

2.7 The Central Government will assist the Government of Assam in setting up a State Skill Development Mission to encourage employment and skill development among the youth.

2.8 Two India Reserve Battalions would be raised and deployed for riverine policing. The Centre will help to train them and also provide specialized equipment. The Border Security Force (BSF) will provide fixed Border Out Posts (BOPs) in riverine areas to strengthen riverine patrolling.

2.9 The Central Government will assist the State Government in establishing a State-level University of Science and Technology as well as a Law School and Judicial Academy in Assam.

2.10 Flood control measures for and integrated development of Majuli will be accorded high priority and adequate funds will be provided for the purpose. A high level Monitoring Group, with representatives of the Central Government, the State Government and the Satradhikars, will be set up to guide the process. An allocation of Rs. 20 crores as Additional Central Assistance for Majuli, will be made available to the Government of Assam.

2.11 The Central Government will provide additional assistance of Rs. 250 crore for the integrated development of the Bodoland Territorial Copuncil (BTC). In so far as the other autonomous Councils of North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong are concerned, the State Government will prepare and submit a plan for the integrated infrastructure development, to be funded from the 500 crore rupee corpus recently announced by the Union Finance Minister for infrastructure development in the North East.

2.12 The Central Government will set up a Science City in Guwahati. Together with the Planetarium, this will give a boost to science education in Assam and the entire North East Region.

2.13 As requested by the Chief Minister of Assam, the Central share in important schemes for rural areas, in the areas of rural water supply and rural sanitation, has been enhanced to 90% for the benefit of Assam as also the other North Eastern States.

2.14 The Union Tourism Ministry will make a blue print for the integrated development of tourism for the North East, with Guwahati as the hub.

3. The Prime Minister also discussed with the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues the other issues raised in the memorandum. He assured the State Government that the problems of flood erosion, excise duty exemptions, broadband connectivity in rural areas, etc. would receive serious consideration by the Government of India. He declared that the Central Government would continue to make all possible efforts for the development of the people of the North East, and that resources would not be allowed to become a constraint.