Gogoi slowly prepares for 2016 polls, says 2015 will be challenging

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said 2015 would be a challenging year and hoped to tackle it with a thrust on education, skill-development and providing employment. “The last year ended against the backdrop of violence and the year was a wake-up call for us both politically as well as in the matter of security,” the chief minister told reporters in Guwahati. “We must ensure that militancy does not raise its head and be prepared to face the challenges ahead of us. We have already prepared an action plan for the coming year and though our target is to achieve 100 percent, we shall not settle for anything less than 70 percent,” Gogoi said.[caption id=“attachment_2026295” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Image courtesy PIB [/caption] The state government would give direct employment to 65,000 persons against vacant posts in all government departments while stress would be given to skill development to ensure self-employment of youths. “We shall set up training and coaching centres through outsourcing to the private sector. We’ll ensure that no meritorious poor students are deprived of higher education while residential schools for below poverty line girl students will be set up in the private sector,” he said. He also announced setting up of a pay commission for the state government employees during the year. He also said that work on updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would begin from 15 February next. He announced appointment of Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) in all districts within the next three months while the Divisional Commissioner’s office would function as a mini secretariat with most file works to be completed there. The government would ensure that the Right To Public Service, which has already been initiated in the state, was implemented more effectively with people getting the services within a specified time frame. Gogoi pointed out that the state government faced a shortage of judges for tribunals and would initiate a process by which those qualified could be appointed by the high court for tribunals. The government would also set up a land policy committee within the next six months to ensure that land was distributed for agriculture, industry and other purposes in an effective manner, he said. The government’s focus would remain on the promotion of rural economy where the latest technology has already been introduced but “we need to bring in more effective changes to further improve agriculture and agro-based industries”. He called for more focus on organic farming with use of pesticides within permissible limits, particularly in the tea sector, with laboratories for testing to be set up in sub-divisional headquarters. The government would also emphasise on reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and malnutrition by introducing better food habits and bring about changes in the mid-day meal schemes, Gogoi said. The government would set up a working women’s hostel and home for orphaned children in every district. The chief minister also announced several schemes for women including financial assistance to unmarried girls at the time of their marriage, unmarried women and widows. He also announced that sanitary napkins would be produced by self-help groups at low costs for the benefit of women from poor households. The chief minister also announced that besides the general medical schemes, free medical treatment would be provided to all BPL youths below the age of 18. PTI