Assam govt gave jobs to 80,000 youths since 2016: Governor

The Governor said that the state govt has been taking exemplary measures for fulfilling the promise of providing a corruption-free state

The Assam government has provided jobs to over 80,000 unemployed youths in the last four-and-half years, Governor Jagdish Mukhi said while hoisting the tricolour here on Tuesday. This includes permanent and contractual appointments, he said.

Moreover, the retirement age of 46,150 teachers under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) who have passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), state pool teachers, contractual teachers of secondary schools, and several thousand employees engaged under National Health Mission has been extended to 60 years, Mukhi said. In its election manifesto in 2016, the BJP had promised to give 25 lakh new jobs to the people of the northeastern state.

The governor said, the Sarbananda Sonowal-led government has been taking exemplary measures for fulfilling the promise of providing a corruption-free state. "My government has so far arrested 229 government officers under corruption-related cases...unearthed several scams in welfare schemes implemented prior to 2016 and detected and deleted around 14 lakh bogus beneficiaries in MGNREGA," he said.

Lauding the state government's efforts in fighting Covid-19, Mukhi said, financial assistance of Rs 4,000 was provided to over 3.89 lakh people of Assam who were stranded in different states during the lockdown.

"I am happy to inform that under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, various industrial units of the state have received loans amounting to Rs 1,800 crore to tide over the Covid-19 crisis," he added.

In order to protect the interests of the indigenous people, the Assam government has given land rights to 3.34 lakh people in the last four-and-half years, Mukhi said.

Because of his health condition, the Governor delivered a truncated version of his 22-page speech and concluded the address in just five minutes.

The 72nd Republic Day programme here was a subdued affair in the wake of the pandemic and the main celebrations at Veterinary College playground in Khanpara was over in 35 minutes.