Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, June 8, 2026, said the state government is stepping up efforts to prevent encroachers from reoccupying land it has reclaimed, while also prioritising infrastructure development and measures to boost agricultural exports with greater central support. Sarma posted the decisions on X after chairing a series of high-level meetings that reviewed progress across multiple sectors.
The Chief Minister said freeing government land from illegal occupation remains a top priority, noting that “over the last five years, we have reclaimed over 200 sq km from encroachers. We are now taking robust steps to ensure encroachers are never able to return to these lands,” Sarma said. He called for tighter safeguards and follow-up measures to secure reclaimed plots.
Sarma directed key departments — including Education, Health and Power — to identify critical projects that could be brought under the Centre’s Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme. He said leveraging VGF would improve the financial viability of major public projects and help accelerate infrastructure development across the state.
On agriculture, the Chief Minister urged increased investment in farm infrastructure and pledged support for exporters of Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged and organic products. He highlighted the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), saying the Union government has assured Assam of full backing under the programme, and asked departments to maximise available central assistance.
Sarma also instructed officials to build stronger linkages among farmers, producers, aggregators and other stakeholders to expand access to export markets. The initiative, he said, is aimed at raising farmer incomes and strengthening Assam’s position in both domestic and international agricultural trade.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/encroachment-free-land-infrastructure-push-and-agri-exports-among-key-priorities-discussed-by-assam-cm-1404945-2026-06-08?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-06-08 23:14:00
