Himanta Biswa Sarma

Will file defamation case against Rahul over 'Adani' tweet: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said he will file a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a tweet that linked him to the Adani group. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said the defamation case will be filed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guwahati on April 14. "Whatever Rahul Gandhi tweeted, it's defamatory. We will respond after the PM leaves the state," he said. "Definitely, a defamation case will be filed in Guwahati," he added. Gandhi on Saturday took a swipe at some leaders who have quit the Congress in recent years and some of whom have joined the BJP as he kept up his offensive against the government over the Adani issue. "They hide the truth, that's why they mislead everyday! The question remains the same - whose Rs 20,000 crore benami money is in Adani's companies?" Gandhi asked in a tweet in Hindi, sharing an image with 'Adani' written as an acronym of sorts with letters of the names of the leaders. He cited t

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma attends Mega Bihu programme at Tezpur

Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday attended the Mega Bihu programme at Tezpur organized by the Sonitpur district administration

"Absolutely breathtaking": Assam CM on Prez flying fighter aircraft

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that it was absolutely breathtaking to see President Draupadi Murmu undertake a sortie on the Sukhoi-30 MKI at Tezpur

Rahul targets Ghulam, Scindia, Himanta over Adani issue; BJP hits back

They hide the truth, that's why they mislead every day! The question remains the same - who has Rs 20,000 crore benami money in Adani's companies? Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi

Govt working to make Assam Police "zero vacancy force": Assam CM Sarma

The government is working to make Assam Police a "zero vacancy force" and equip it with the latest technological interventions to deal with modern-day crime

Kejriwal a coward, his heroism confined within assembly, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday slammed his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal over his comments during a rally in Guwahati, calling the AAP chief a coward whose heroism is confined within the assembly. Sarma criticised Kejriwal for not making any reference to allegations of corruption against the BJP leader, which he had reportedly made in the Delhi Assembly. He had made charges of corruption against me in the Delhi Assembly, but I cannot act on it as he is protected by regulations. I had challenged him to repeat the same allegations outside the House and then I will see him in court. But, he didn't have the courage to say anything here. He spoke a lot of anab-shanab' (rubbish), but nothing on charges against me, Sarma said at a presser. The Assam CM had on Friday threatened to file a defamation case against Kejriwal if the Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged corruption cases against him outside the assembly. The heroism of Kejriwal is confined within the assembly as

Assam to form commission to improve delivery of public services: CM Sarma

The Assam cabinet on Sunday approved a proposal to set up a commission for improving the delivery of public services, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. It also fixed May 6 to declare results of examinations to recruit over 50,000 people to the government sector as part of his party BJP's pre-poll promise to provide one lakh jobs, he said. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, he said, Today, the cabinet approved Assam Right to Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023" The commission will be an independent quasi-judicial three-member body with a chief commissioner. The function of the panel will be to recommend disciplinary action against designated public servants for persistently failing to provide notified services within a stipulated time, Sarma said. This will make Assam a model state in terms of public service delivery, he said. Sarma also said the cabinet fixed May 6 to declare the results of examinations to recruit people for 51,397 government posts. A

Security of Assam CM tightened after threat call from pro-Khalistanis

The security of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been tightened after a voice message issuing threat to him was received by a number of Assamese journalists based in Delhi and Assam on Sunday from a person identifying himself as Gurpatwant Singh Pannu from the banned Sikhs for Justice. Officials in the know claimed that the voice in the message was that of Pannu, who has been designated as a terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act -- by the Union Home Ministry. He is at present in the United States. The caller claimed that Sikhs were being "tortured" in Assam jail and asked Sarma to desist from it. After the March 18 crackdown on pro-Khalistan radical preacher Amritpal Singh, the Punjab government had shifted seven of his close aides to Assam's Dibrugarh jail after slapping them with the National Security Act. The voice message, which was received twice by some of the journalists in the afternoon, came from masked Indian pho

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Assam CM threatens to sue Arvind Kejriwal if he calls him 'corrupt'

Speak against me a single word that I am corrupt and next day I am going to file a defamation case, the same thing I have done against Manish Sisodia," CM Sarma said

Himanta Biswa Sarma threatens to lodge defamation suit against Kejriwal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dared his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to call him corrupt when the latter is on a Guwahati tour on Sunday

Awaiting Centre nod to new action plan on climate change: Assam minister

The Assam government is awaiting the Centre's approval for its action plan for 2021-30 to tackle climate change, state minister Keshab Mahanta said in the assembly on Friday. The plan had been drafted after due consultation with various government departments and other stakeholders, he said. Responding to a query by CPI(M) legislator Manoranjan Talukdar, Mahanta said the Assam State Action Plan on Climate Change 2021-30 had been approved by the state cabinet in July last year. It has then been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for its approval, he said, adding that the plan will be issued as soon as the Centre gives its nod. Mahanta, the minister for science, technology and climate change, said the draft was prepared after holding consultations with various government departments and incorporating their suggestions. Other stakeholders and organisations were also called for discussion during the process, he said. The minister said steps to .

Assam CM Sarma inaugurates, lays foundation for Rs 545-crore projects

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation for Rs 545 crore-worth projects related to connectivity, healthcare and higher education at Rangia in Kamrup district. Reiterating his government's commitment to develop world-class infrastructure in the state, he directed officials to ensure timely completion of all projects. "As we observe 'A Day dedicated to Development', I inaugurated & laid the foundation for 23 projects worth Rs 545 cr at Rangia today," Sarma tweeted. "I have directed officials to ensure timely execution so these initiatives bear the fruits of development & prosperity for people of Assam," he added. Sarma said he started the day's programme by inaugurating a four-lane link road that will connect Rangia to National Highway 31. He said the government is committed to invest over Rs 10,000 crore in the 2023-24 fiscal to create world-class infrastructure in Assam. Inaugurating a 47-bed ICU at Rangiya Model Hospital, Sarma ..

PM Modi to attend spectacular Bihu function in Assam on April 14: Report

The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government will host a mega event to celebrate the upcoming Rongali Bihu where 11,000 dancers will perform in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on April 14, officials said. The spectacle, expected to be the largest in the Northeast in terms of the congregation of more than 10,000 Bihu dancers, may make an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Besides the prime minister, invitations for the event, to be held in Guwahati's Sarusajai indoor stadium, are being extended to all governors, chief ministers, union ministers, diplomats of G20 member nations and ASEAN countries and other dignitaries. Chief Minister Sarma is closely monitoring the preparations for the function to make it a roaring success. "The chief minister has been monitoring the preparations to the minutest details so that Bihu, the lifeline of Assamese culture, is known to the whole world," said a senior state government official privy to the development. Sarma also

Assam CM distributes one-time retirement benefit to Anganwadi workers

Distributing a one-time retirement benefit to Anganwadi workers on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described them as the cornerstone of the healthcare system. The state government has taken several schemes for the welfare of retired persons and we have also taken a decision to provide the same to Anganwadi workers, he said at a programme here. ''The Anganwadi workers are the cornerstone of our healthcare system and we are taking several measures for their overall well-being'', Sarma said. For all those retiring at 60, Rs six lakh will be given to Anganwadi workers, Rs three lakh to small centre workers and Rs two lakh to helpers, the chief minister said. Anganwadi workers taking voluntary retirement will be given 50 per cent benefits after ten consecutive years of service. Fifty per cent benefits will be paid to families of workers/helpers in case of their death after ten years of service, he said. The state government was planning to include the Anganwadi wor

Himanta Biswa Sarma launches Mission Lifestyle for Environment in Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched the Mission Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) in the state, a global mass movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sarma said it promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle, focusing on utilisation instead of wasteful consumption. Under this initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all districts, addressing seven identified categories, including saving energy and water, reducing plastic and e-waste, and healthy lifestyles, he said. Sarma said in known and unknown ways we work against nature creating problems for humanity, leading to challenges with which humans, plants and the animal kingdom have to deal. Earlier, we could predict the seasonal changes but now things have changed mostly due to loss of green cover, wetlands and other natural bodies, and many research papers have pointed out that North East India will face severe impacts of climate change, the CM said. Over the l

No information when delimitation will be over, says Assam CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said his government has no information on when the process for delimitation of constituencies will be over. Speaking in the assembly, Sarma said any question the opposition may have about the process can be placed before the Election Commission (EC) when its full team visits the state next week. "The state government cannot say when the process will be completed as we are not directly or indirectly involved. EC is a central agency. Our work is only to provide the data," he said in reply to a question on the delimitation process by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed. The process began on January 1, the chief minister said. The delimitation exercise was not stalled in the state due to the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he said. "The then Congress government had written to the delimitation commission that the law and order situation was not conducive for carrying out the process then. "When we were asked if it can b

PM Modi lauds Assam guv, CM's gesture of visiting 3 iconic places in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the gesture of Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the state government's ministers to visit the National War Memorial, National Police Memorial and the PM Sangrahalaya here. In a tweet, Kataria said, "I along with CM Dr. Himantab Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleagues, had the profound privilege of visiting the National War Memorial in New Delhi today." "We paid our tribute to the valiant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in safeguarding our nation's territorial integrity," he said. "As the day progressed, we embarked on an awe-inspiring journey through the remarkable National Police Museum and the distinguished Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, marveling at the extraordinary exhibits on display," Kataria said. Tagging Kataria's tweet, Modi said on Twitter, "A great gesture by the Assam Governor @Gulab_kataria Ji, CM @himantabiswa Ji and Ministers of the Assam Government to visit three iconic pla

Over 857,000 people encroaching 5,404 sq km of land, says Assam govt

Over 8.57 lakh encroachers are occupying more than 5,404 sq km of land across Assam, the state assembly was informed on Friday. Of them, 2.12 lakh are landless people, 1.24 lakh are from the minority community and 31,839 are erosion-hit people. In a written reply to a query by Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan said a total of 8,57,060 people are living on government, forest, wetland, Satra and railway lands across the state. Sharing a table, the minister said these people include at least 2,11,698 landless people, 31,839 erosion-affected, 1,03,422 from the economically weaker section, 68,981 Scheduled Castes, 77,616 Scheduled Tribes, 1,21,089 from the general category and 1,24,150 from the minority community. The table further termed 1,18,265 people in Charaideo and Dhemaji as encroachers, but did not elaborate on their class, caste or community. Mohan said these people have encroached more than 40,39,450 bighas (over 5,404

Jairam playing chief saboteur': Himanta on Ramesh's prompt to Rahul

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being apparently prompted by party colleague Jairam Ramesh during a press conference, by terming the economist-turned politician, Congress's "Chief Saboteur". He also ridiculed those who believe that Gandhi will emerge as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I feel nothing but sorry for the so called secularists and leftists who harbour high hopes, expecting this man to defeat Hon PM @narendramodi ji and become PM, Sarma wrote on Twitter. And Jairam seems to be playing the role of Chief Saboteur. Tutoring with mic on strange, the former Congressman-turned-BJP leader added, sharing a video clip of 26 seconds. In the transcript of the clip, as shared by Sarma, Gandhi is initially shown saying unfortunately I am a member of parliament at which Ramesh, seated to his left, intervenes and purportedly tells Gandhi that they can make a joke of it. The senior partyman then asks Gandhi