Guwahati, June 13 — As Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked 4,399 days in office on Saturday, becoming India’s longest‑serving elected prime minister, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used the occasion to underline what he called the state’s economic and infrastructural turnaround under central support. Speaking at Vajpayee Bhawan, Sarma pointed to increased central funding, rising tax devolution and a slate of large projects aimed at boosting connectivity across the Northeast.
Sarma said Modi has visited Assam 36 times since taking office and credited the prime minister’s personal backing for the state’s gains. “PM Modi never says no to projects for Assam. All we have to do is get the project prepared and present it to him,” he said, adding that the prime minister is “always ready to walk the extra mile for Assam.”
On finances, Sarma said central assistance to Assam rose from about Rs 1.7 lakh crore in 2006–2016 to Rs 5.5 lakh crore in 2016–2025‑26 — a more than threefold increase. He also highlighted a jump in central tax devolution, from Rs 11,575 crore in 2013–14 to an expected Rs 49,725 crore under the 2026–27 budget.
The chief minister cited major economic gains: Assam’s gross state domestic product, he said, expanded from Rs 2.27 lakh crore in 2015–16 to roughly Rs 8.7 lakh crore under the current dispensation, and he claimed about 80 lakh people have moved out of poverty into a “neo‑middle‑class” bracket. Sarma added that while India’s economy grew 29% between 2020 and 2025, Assam recorded 45% growth in the same period, and that the Reserve Bank of India has identified the state as among the fastest‑growing.
On health, Sarma recalled that Assam’s maternal mortality ratio was 480 per one lakh live births when he served as health minister in 2005; he said Sample Registration System data for 2022–23 puts the figure at 84. “Reaching double digits is a remarkable achievement,” he said, linking the improvement to poverty reduction, better hospital access and nutrition.
Sarma announced several infrastructure projects either under way or nearing approval, including a phased Silchar–Siliguri Express Corridor, a planned Guwahati–Tinsukia Express Corridor with tunnel tendering underway, and an elevated corridor linking Guwahati airport via Jalukbari. He said work from Barapani to Silchar has begun and the Barapani–Guwahati stretch will be announced soon.
Other projects named include the Gorol‑Dharapur road now with the NHAI, Silchar Airport nearing completion, Rupsi Airport being developed as a logistics hub, and the Dhubri–Phulbari bridge expected to be inaugurated by 2028. Bridges and a national highway linking Jagiroad to Bhutan are also in advanced approval stages.
Addressing strategic connectivity, Sarma said a double railway line below the Siliguri Corridor — the “Chicken’s Neck” — has been sanctioned to keep the Northeast connected during emergencies, and that plans for an additional vehicular tunnel are under discussion. He also announced proposed rail links to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and a line from Kokrajhar to Gelephu in Bhutan to connect Assam with Bhutan’s planned Gelephu Mindfulness City. Sarma suggested a cross‑border model where people could live in Bhutan while industries develop in Assam, describing it as a “mirror‑image” development concept.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/pm-always-ready-to-walk-extra-mile-for-assam-cm-as-modi-marks-record-tenure-1612714
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Publish Date: 2026-06-13 19:05:00
