Guwahati, 03 November (HS): Assam is witnessing rapid infrastructure development across sectors, including transport, industry, education and healthcare, under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, BJP spokesperson Dharmakanta Gogoi said the state had witnessed unprecedented development over the past five years, with several new projects aimed at accelerating economic growth and improving connectivity.

He described the proposed Delhi-Guwahati bullet train connectivity as a major milestone in Assam's transportation history. According to the BJP, the Centre has approved the extension of the Northern Bullet Train Corridor to Guwahati following requests from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have approved the proposal, the statement said.

The proposed high-speed rail corridor is expected to connect Guwahati with Delhi through Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna and Siliguri, reducing travel time between Delhi and Guwahati to less than eight hours.

Gogoi also highlighted the introduction of the Northeast's first Vande Bharat Express between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri. He said the Centre had allocated ₹11,486 crore for Northeast Frontier Railway in the railway budget, marking a significant increase in railway infrastructure investment.

Among other major infrastructure projects, he mentioned the Guwahati Ring Road, Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, proposed tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra, Numaligarh bioethanol project and Guwahati-Silchar High-Speed Corridor.

The BJP spokesperson said the state government was also working towards developing Assam into a USD 30-billion economy by promoting new industries and establishing district-level land banks to facilitate industrial investments.

In the education sector, 75 model schools and 21 model residential schools have been established in tea garden areas. Besides, 14 new polytechnics have been set up and 55 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) modernised, he said.

On employment, Gogoi claimed that 1.64 lakh government jobs had been provided transparently during the past five years, while the government had set a target of providing an additional two lakh jobs.

He also highlighted the Nijut Moina scheme for higher education among girl students and said 37.47 lakh children were covered under the PM-POSHAN programme.

In the healthcare sector, the government was expediting the construction of new medical colleges under its initiative to establish a medical college in every district. Around 4,000 health sub-centres were also being upgraded into better-equipped healthcare facilities. The government has envisaged an ambitious investment plan of ₹50,000 crore for the health sector, the statement added.

Regarding urban development, Gogoi said master plans had been prepared for 102 towns, while GIS-based modern mapping had been implemented in 74 towns to ensure planned urban expansion. More than ₹4,000 crore had also been spent on urban drinking water projects, solid waste management and beautification initiatives.

He further said land rights were being provided to tea garden workers and measures were being taken to safeguard the social security of communities in autonomous council areas.

Gogoi said the BJP would continue to approach people with its development agenda and expressed confidence that the state's development initiatives would remain a key focus in the coming years.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash