T P Venu & Sudheer Goutham
Assam is blessed with natural beauty with its hills, water bodies, vegetation and forests but the people also have had a long struggle protecting its land, identity and culture. It is probably for the first time since independence that Assam is drawing attention not just from Delhi but also from other states in the country. Change and hope is what is making people excited. Change is happening fast and people are hopeful of a prosperous Assam. The reason for this change is the political change in Assam. Ever since Himanta Biswa Sarma took over the reins of the state as the 15th Chief Minister last May, there is buoyancy in all aspects.
The hope for a better tomorrow stems from quick decisions from the Chief Minister’s office. Nibir, 23, a student says, “Never have we witnessed ministers and administrators visit villages. This administration goes to people and not the other way round.” The Chief Minister made it mandatory that all heads of departments report to him on each Wednesday and also visit districts every month. What is more, en route they would have to stop at a health centre and a government school and report at the headquarters. In short, accountability is the bench mark.
The Chief Minister understands the pulse of the people a skill that he honed from student days as the general secretary of the Cotton College Union Society. His steady rise over the last few years is due to his connect with the people. Consolidating the peace process, fast implementation of projects and not leaving a chance to speak about the broadening developmental plans is helping rewrite the Assamese identity. The Government is focussing on skill-development, health and education.
Jogen Gogai a cab driver says, “For the first time, Assam is being spoken about across India. There is a lot to be done and we are hopeful that the Chief Minister will change the face of Assam.” Tanmoy, a student of Economics says, “From dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic to the recent employment drive the government has been pro-active. Guwahati is the gateway to the Northeast and connectivity to the rest of India is the biggest issue.”
The people of Assam are hopeful of fast-paced growth. How fast and when only time will tell but one thing is sure, Himanta Biswa Sarma’s leadership is now firmly entrenched in minds of the people and in the national consciousness.