Dibrugarh to be developed as second capital of Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Dibrugarh: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the district headquarters of Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of the state within the next three years.

Unfurling the national flag here on the occasion of Republic Day, Sarma said the government will construct a permanent building of the assembly in this city on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in Upper Assam.

"Today is an important day in Dibrugarh's journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city," he said.

From 2027, one session of Assam assembly will take place in Dibrugarh every year, the CM announced.

"From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India," he said.

As part of the government's urbanisation plan, Tezpur and Silchar will also be developed along with Dibrugarh, Sarma said.

"Dibrugarh will be the second capital of Assam in the next three years. We will construct a Raj Bhavan in Tezpur and develop it as the cultural capital of Assam. Silchar will have a secretariat and chief secretary's office, thereby bridging the gap between Barak Valley and Guwahati," he added.

Sarma had last year opened the first CM secretariat outside the state capital in Dibrugarh town.

The CM said that Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was not part of the initial Constitution Drafting Committee.

"Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru termed him a troublemaker and tried to keep him outside the Constitution Committee. Our Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, favoured Ambedkar due to his exceptional intellectual prowess and it proved to be the right decision to include him in the committee," he said.

Sarma said India has a Constitution with the ethos of brotherhood and compassion, rising above narrow thinking.

"Article 17 is the foundation of an open society. Ambedkar's fight against untouchability was not only about Dalits, it was the soul of India. It inspired generations of India. Untouchability, deep-rooted in the caste system, deprived many of their fundamental rights and basic human dignity. Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar stood as a beacon of hope, striving to restore human dignity and equality of those marginalised by society," he said.

"We are committed not to take India to the darkness of Emergency. We will take part in the journey to make India a developed nation by 2047," he added.

Sarma said all state government employees whose recruitment process started before 2005 but got appointed finally in 2005 or later, will be included in the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

"Currently, all employees are under the National Pension System (NPS). But Assam will adopt the Unified Pension Scheme from April 2025," he added.

Sarma said around 1.25 lakh appointments have been made in government departments since he assumed charge in May 2021, and 50,000 more recruitments will take place this year.

"A new department -- Department of Startups -- will be established in Assam to encourage and support the entrepreneurs," he said.

The CM said that on February 25-26, the state is organising the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit, focussing on sectors like infrastructure, electronics, renewable energy, tourism and logistics to attract investment and drive growth.

"We were a dependent state earlier and it was our identity. Now, we want to be a contributory state like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We want to transform ourselves and that is my goal for the future of Assam," he said.

Sarma said that Assam has moved from an era of violence to one of peace and progress.

"Once defined by gunshots at night, today the state is a symbol of tranquillity," he said.

"The way Assam is progressing, it will be a major economic power of India in the next 10 years. The next decade will be Assam's. Not only India, but Assam will shine in the whole world," he asserted.