GUWAHATI, Nov 21 ? The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, today stressed the need for creating a cohesive autonomous institution to deal with the gigantic problem of floods. He also assured that the Central Government was committed to implementing the Assam Accord in letter and spirit.
Inaugurating the new capital complex at Dispur here today, the Prime Minister said that though the rivers Brahmaputra and Barak and their tributaries were lifelines of the State, every year, the people had to suffer the devastation of floods and ?our efforts should be to make floods a thing of the past.?
He recalled his visit to the State in July to assess the flood situation and said that he had personally witnessed the sufferings and agony of the affected people. He said that the Central Government had tried its best to help the State at the time of need and asserted that the Central Government was committed to extend all possible help to Assam to control the fury of floods. He described floods as a problem having inter-state and international dimensions and said that both short and long-term measures need to be taken to address the problem.
The Prime Minister said that the Task Force created by him would recommend measures to deal with the problem of floods and assured that the immediate steps would be taken to revamp the Brahmaputra Board. He also stressed the need for creating an autonomous institution, which may be named as the Brahmaputra Valley Authority or the NE River Valley Authority to tackle the task of dealing with floods and said that the Government would study the feasibility of setting up such an authority. He also announced that the Centre would take all possible steps for the protection of Majuli from floods and erosion.
Dr Singh pointed out that China and India would be the powerhouses of global economy in the 21st century and ?we are looking towards the East to improve trade and commerce relations with our neighbouring countries.? He said that Assam and other parts of the North East can be the springboards of India?s economic integration with the South East Asian countries.
He said that Assam can be developed as the centre for trade and commerce and become the gateway of India to the East in the days to come. He revealed that India has already signed free trade agreements with the countries of Thailand, Singapore and Laos and opening up of trade ties with these countries would open up the window of opportunity for Assam.
Dr Singh described the inauguration of the capital complex as an event of joy and pride for the people of Assam and said that he would take all possible steps for the development of his adopted State. He called upon all sections of people of the State to work together with the Central and State Governments for the all-round development of the State and assured all possible assistance from the Centre in this regard.
He said that the Centre is committed to investing substantial amount in sectors like education, health and infrastructure in Assam and said that improvement of connectivity to the region would be given priority. He admitted that unemployment is a serious problem for Assam and said that a feasible blueprint should be prepared for creating employment avenues for the unemployed youths of the State.
Expressing his dismay at the delay in setting up of the gas cracker project, the Prime Minister said that the project was conceived at the time when the Congress was in power at the Centre but successive Governments failed to carry it forward. He said that he has taken up the matter with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the Gas Authority of India Limited is preparing a new feasibility report on the project.
Earlier, welcoming the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi asserted that the State and Central Governments are committed to implementing the Assam Accord and outlined events like devastating earthquake of 1950, the Chinese aggression of 1962, Indo-Pak wars, NE Areas Reorganisation Act, the six-year-long Assam agitation and insurgency as the major causes of backwardness of the State.
Gogoi said that in the last three years, the State Government managed to make significant progress in containing insurgency. He said that settlement with the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) brought peace in the Bodo-dominated areas and talks are on with the DHD and UPDS. The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) has announced a unilateral ceasefire to come for talks and the Government is encouraging mediators to bring the ULFA to the negotiating table.
Giving an account of the devastation caused by floods, the Chief Minister said that the Council of Ministers has drawn up a plan for repair and reconstruction of the damaged assets and the same would be submitted to the Prime Minister. He said that the Prime Minister had sanctioned an amount of Rs 557 crore for relief and rehabilitation, of which Rs 293 crore is yet to be released.
The Chief Minister said that unemployment is the root cause of unrest and insurgency in the State and said that though 85,000 self-help groups have been constituted, bank finance is crucial for the success of the scheme. He also called upon the Prime Minister to formulate a package for the tea industry.
He said that the industry provides employment to six lakh persons in the State but the agricultural income tax from the industry has come down from Rs 103 crore to three crore. He also said that the State share for all the Centrally sponsored schemes should be reduced to 10 percent.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the Shukla Commission formed by the Government of India recommended investment of Rs 22758 crore in the NE to bridge the infrastructure gap and called upon the Prime Minister to accept the recommendations.
Earlier, the State Chief Secretary S Kabilan welcomed the guests. The function was attended among others by the Union Minister in-charge of DONER PR Kyndiah, State Ministers and other dignitaries. The Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and members of the Council of Ministers on his arrival at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi airport this morning.