Guwahati: The Satra Aayog, a commission tasked with reviewing and assessing issues concerning Vaishnavite monastery (satra) lands in Assam, has submitted its final report to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The report was presented at a program in Guwahati.
Formed in November 2021, the Aayog was chaired by MLA Pradip Hazarika, with MLAs Mrinal Saikia and Rupak Sarma serving as members. The commission visited approximately 126 satras to examine existing problems and subsequently provided several recommendations in its report.
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Chief Minister Sarma expressed his gratitude to the Satra Aayog, calling the submission of the final report an important day for the state. “I am happy to receive the final report of the Aayog, which reviewed and assessed the problems of satra lands necessitated because of encroachment,” he stated. “The government will study the report minutely and exhaustively to meet its recommendations.”
Sarma also announced that the state government plans to establish a permanent Satra Aayog. This new body will be financially and administratively empowered to work for the benefit and welfare of the satras. He added that the permanent Aayog would also focus on creating a 25-year vision plan to revamp the institutional framework of the satras and ensure their long-term sustainability across the state.
“The satras are confronted with various problems, but no other government took the initiative to address them,” the Chief Minister remarked. “However, once the BJP-led dispensation assumed power, the government took steps to save the satras and lend vitality to them. Therefore, the incumbent state government formed this Satra Aayog to find out the problems, especially land encroachment, that grapple the satras across the state.”
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He further mentioned that efforts would be made to rejuvenate the satras by encouraging more youth to join their fold