Leading the Charge
Despite the insecurity triggered by the NRC and a host of legacy issues, the state is striving towards all-round development. Assam also won the most improved award for economy
Among all Indian states, Assam has the highest share of Muslims in its population—about 35 per cent. Monitored by the Supreme Court, the state published a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in August this year to detect illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, which caused massive insecurity among a large section of the Muslim population as many of them are popularly perceived to be immigrants from Bangladesh. At the same time, the BJP-ruled governments at the Centre and in the state insisted on bringing a Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that aims at giving citizenship to people from non-Muslim communities who faced religious persecution in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This move antagonised the indigenous population of Assam, who believed that this new bill will ensure citizenship for a large number of Hindu illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, posing a serious threat to the cultural and linguistic identities of the state’s original inhabitants.
Yet, since 2014, the BJP has been sweeping almost every poll held in the state—from parliamentary to panchayat. The explanation for this electoral outcome can perhaps be found in the people’s desperation for development in the state seen as the gateway to India’s Northeast. As the government numbers suggest, the Sarbananda Sonowalled
state government has been gradually putting the state back on the path of development. In terms of absolute performance, the state is still among the laggards, but is making efforts to catch up. The proof of this comes from the fact that in the India Today State of the States study, Assam is among the top five most improved states in six out of 12 categories.
That’s significant in a state saddled with multiple legacy issues. Take this example: at a time when electricity is available in the open market at a round-the-clock average price of
Rs 3 per unit, the Assam government is forced to buy the same from NTPC Bongaigaon at Rs 5.6 per unit. This is because in 2006 Assam convinced
NTPC to set up a power plant, replacing a state government utility that never worked at more than 25 per cent capacity. Because it was a take-or-pay deal, it has now become an economic liability. The state government has now pleaded with the Centre to give NTPC a Rs 1,000 crore largesse to save the state from this mess.
The economic progression in the state is triggered primarily by focusing on the basics— building infrastructure that can help the state take advantage of its geographical and strategic location. With its abundant natural beauty, Assam has immense tourism potential, while borders with Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh offer unmatched trade opportunities. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated two new bridges on the Brahmaputra in the past two years, at least five new ones are coming up on the river in the next decade at strategic locations. The state government has also sought a loan of $110 million from the World Bank to develop an efficient river transport system in the state.
The recently launched export policy of the state says that Assam’s proximity to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries and its own large domestic market will create a huge market with 400 million households. “Assam is rapidly emerging as India’s trade corridor with Southeast Asia. Even among the eight Northeastern states, its trade potential has increased several notches. With the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the region is truly realising his vision of Asta Lakshmi,” says Chief Minister Sonowal.
Efforts are also going on to strengthen the rural economy in the primarily agricultural state. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned around 3,520 projects worth Rs 7,019.47 crore in the agriculture and related activities sector, the social sector and rural connectivity. ■