2 weeks ago
Assam to invest ₹1.5 lakh crore in infrastructure by 2031
On Independence Day, the Chief Minister of Assam, a state in India, gave a big speech.
His name is Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He said Assam will spend a huge amount of money, ₹1.5 lakh crore, over the next five years to build roads, schools, and cities.
About ₹50,000 crore will come from Assam's own resources, and the state will try to get the rest, ₹1 lakh crore, from the Central government.
He asked people who moved to Assam and became part of its culture to write 'Assamese' as their mother tongue during the census, when the government counts people.
He said that people in Barak Valley and tribal communities can still write their own languages.
He felt sad about people who died in recent floods and promised that money for helping them recover will not be a problem.
He announced a special 30-day drive to stop child marriage, starting on November 1, and a new department to help young people learn skills.
He said Assam's economy has grown three times bigger in ten years, going from making tea to making computer chips.
Finally, he said Assam will celebrate 800 years since a great king named Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha arrived.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced ₹1.5 lakh crore in capital expenditure on infrastructure over 2026–2031, with ₹50,000 crore from the state's own resources and a target of ₹1 lakh crore from the Central government.
Sarma appealed to settlers who have assimilated into Assam's culture to record 'Assamese' as their mother tongue during Census data collection, while Barak Valley residents and tribals may mention their own languages.
He announced a 30-day special crackdown on child marriage from November 1 and said the government will not rest until underage weddings and polygamy are eradicated.
Condoling lives lost in recent floods that devastated four eastern districts, he said funds for rehabilitation of affected people and areas will not be a constraint.
He announced a new Youth Development and Empowerment department and eight new co-districts, and said Assam will commemorate 800 years of Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha's arrival.
- Who
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, speaking after hoisting the National Flag at the Independence Day celebration
- What
- Announced ₹1.5 lakh crore in infrastructure capital expenditure over 2026–2031, along with a Census mother-tongue appeal, a 30-day child marriage crackdown, a new Youth Development and Empowerment department, eight new co-districts and flood relief commitments
- Where
- Guwahati, Assam, India
- When
- Saturday, August 15, 2026 — Independence Day, his first such speech after retaining the chief minister's post for a second term
- Why
- To build a 'Vikshit Assam' (developed Assam) by 2047 through infrastructure investment, economic growth and social development
Opposition / Critics
Government / Sarma's stance
Census mother tongue appeal
Opposition / Critics
Critics see the appeal to assimilated settlers to list 'Assamese' as their mother tongue as pressure on migrants to abandon their own linguistic identity; the fact that Sarma had to exempt Barak Valley's Bengali-speaking residents and tribals highlights the sensitivity of the issue.
Government / Sarma's stance
Sarma maintains that people who have settled in Assam and adopted its culture should record 'Assamese' as their mother tongue in the Census, while Barak Valley residents and tribals may keep their own languages.
Vande Mataram rendition
Opposition / Critics
Sarma blames a section of Congress leaders who, he says, fragmented the National Song 'for their own political interest' by using a shorter version of it.
Government / Sarma's stance
Sarma says the complete six stanzas of Vande Mataram were rendered for the first time since independence and now hold the same status as the National Anthem under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Key facts
- Chief Minister
- Himanta Biswa Sarma
- Total infrastructure investment
- ₹1.5 lakh crore (2026–2031)
- State's own contribution
- ₹50,000 crore
- Target from Central government
- ₹1 lakh crore
- Announcement date
- August 15, 2026 (Independence Day)
- Venue
- Guwahati, Assam
- Child marriage crackdown
- 30-day special drive from November 1; 12,196 cases registered and 11,196 arrests in last 5 years
- New co-districts announced
- 8
Quotes
Himanta Biswa Sarma
Chief Minister of Assam
“For building a ‘Vikshit Assam’ by 2047, we shall be spending Rs 50,000 crore in capital expenditure. The next four years will see investment in roads, schools, urbanisation, rural growth, etc, and this will be from our own funds.”
thehindubusinessline.com
thehindubusinessline.com
“For their own political interest, a section of Congress leaders had fragmented it. It is under PM Modi that all six stanzas of the song have been given the same status as the National Anthem.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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