Guwahati: As the flood situation in Assam remains grim, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while taking stock of the situation in different parts of the State, assured all the possible support of tackling the menace. On Tuesday (August 31), PM Modi spoke to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and promised necessary supports from the Centre to help mitigate the problem.
The latest flood wave has affected nearly 5.75 lakh people in 22 districts (out of 34 districts). A child was reportedly drowned in the floodwater, increasing the related casualties up to three in the last 48 hours. Kaziranga national park & tiger reserve and a few other important forest reserves also face inundation of the excess water from the mighty river, Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
Nearly ten thousand people were rendered homeless because of floods, affecting the districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Gowalpara, etc. Incessant rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh has severely affected the latest wave of floods in Assam.
In the world-famous Kaziranga forest reserve, many anti-poaching camps are submerged by inflated water. Many wild animals cross the National Highway 37 to escape the situation and climbing up to Karbi Anglong hills on the southern side. The authority and general administration have restricted traffic on the highway that passes through the park.
CM attends Humder Moner Kotha: Assam CM Sarma on Monday attended an interactive program titled Humder Moner Kotha with intellectuals and leading citizens of the tea plantation tribes to prepare a roadmap for the all-around development of the community.
Various issues relating to the socio-economic development of the tea tribes, including infrastructural development, exploring alternative and additional livelihood, proper education, health infrastructure, preserving heritage, culture, language, etc., were discussed during the program.
Sarma elaborated that the BJP led government in Dispur undertook several initiatives to develop the tea people during the last five years. He, however, admitted that a lot is yet to be done for the community’s holistic growth. To draw up short, medium and long-term action plans for uplifting the tea community, seven subgroups would be formed for in-depth study on various critical issues.
The committees, where one government officer will be nominated as the member secretary, would submit their recommendations with a focus on areas such as health, education, skill development, culture, literature, sports and employment within this year, and the government would accordingly make necessary provisions in the next budget.
Leading tea tribe personalities including former Union minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar, former State Assembly speaker Prithbi Majhi along with Bhaben Tanti, Dhrubajyoti Kurmi, Dulami Herenz, Kamal Kumar Tanti, Sushil Chandra Kurmi, Wilfred Topno, Bhagirath Karan, Arun Kawar, Monumati Kurmi, Bharat Tanti, Anil Tanti, Renu Gowala, DipawaliKurmi, Machi Topno, Bohni Kumari Telenga, Bhadra Rajowar, Nakul Chaura, Maniklal Mahato, Ashok Kurmi, etc. spoke during the occasion.
They unanimously appreciated CM Sarma for the initiative, which was the first of its kind after independence, and offered several suggestions for the upliftment of the community. State tea tribe welfare minister, Sanjay Kishan, delivered the welcome speech, where Union minister Rameswar Teli with a number of senior State ministers, were also present in the function.
