‘May consider lockdown if Covid cases continue to rise’
Himanta Biswa Sarma took charge as Assam’s 15th chief minister on May 10, capping a successful election campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party. With Covid cases and deaths surging in the state, the 52-year-old, who was the health minister in the previous Sarbananda Sonowal government, has assumed office at a crucial time. Since taking oath, Sarma has been busy boosting the health sector and taking stringent measures to control the spread of the pandemic. In an interview with he talks in detail about the crisis, the state’s finances, the NRC and other issues that the new government faces. Edited excerpts:
Utpal Parashar, You have mentioned that Covid is the biggest challenge facing the new government and have initiated some measures to control the pandemic. What is your assessment of the situation in Assam now and where is the state headed?
The second wave of Covid is more infectious and lethal. Therefore, we need to be more proactive and sincere in our efforts. We have imposed curfew from 12pm to 5am in urban areas and micro-containment zones have been started. There won’t be home isolation for those above 50 who don’t have facilities for management of the disease in their houses...we have ensured oxygen supply is not compromised, started setting up new ICU units and kept adequate stock of life-saving medicines. Within the last week since our government was formed, we have noticed some slowdown in Covid cases. In Kamrup (Metropolitan), cases have come down from 1,600 daily to around 1,000. Though nothing can be said conclusively, we may witness some kind of stabilisation in the coming days. We will work harder and give our best.
Most states have announced a lockdown. Why has Assam decided against it till now? And why are 200 of the 1,000 ventilators
We haven’t imposed a total lockdown as we are also concerned about the livelihoods of people. We are trying to create a mid-way between economic activity and Covid control. If that process fails and Covid cases continue to rise, we might have to consider a total lockdown. Regarding the ventilators, we got them at a time when the state had very few daily Covid cases. Since now we are expanding our Covid facilities, we will be utilising all the ventilators from the PM Cares initiative in the next 10-15 days.
The initial period of the last year was difficult, but in the last quarter we recorded 14% growth in revenue collection. We spent ₹82,000 crore of our budget last year, which was the highest expenditure of allocation achieved till now. This year, we will be able to contain Covid and maintain our growth story. As of now, our cash flow is stable, and we are getting support from the Centre.
As you had handled both
I have handled many portfolios in the state since 2001. My own opinion is that chief ministers should have few ministries so that my time can be distributed in supervising and anchoring various schemes of all departments. I have consciously decided that I will devote my time and energy in all departments equally and that’s why I have decided to leave finance and health ministries...
You have mentioned that you will be seeking re-verification of the National Register of Citizens. How do you plan to take it forward?
The state coordinator for the NRC has already filed an application in Supreme Court seeking re-verification of the list as it has glaring anomalies. We will wait for the SC to examine our request. If we get the order in our favour, we will revisit the NRC and if it SC decides against, we have to agree with the original document.
In the previous government, I headed a committee to prepare modalities for enlisting the six communities is ST. The Bill in this regard is pending in Rajya Sabha. Earlier, we were able to bring both sets of communities, those who are already enjoying ST status and the six others that are seeking the same, to the discussion table. We were able to arrive at consensus on some points. We need to ensure that while granting ST status to the six communities, the rights and privileges of those who are already ST are not compromised. We need a fine balancing act. There will be more discussions on this, and we are confident of a positive outcome.