Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday said the State is for indigenous people and the sons of the soil will continue to rule the State in the future as well.
The chief minister said this while taking part as the chief guest in the state level celebration programme of Ali Aye Ligang festival at Jonai in Dhemaji organized by Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam in association with Dhemaji district administration.
“No outsider can take upper-hand here undermining the locals. Mising tribe is one of the most hardworking and culturally rich tribes of the State and they have enhanced the Assamese society with their cultural heritage. The Mising youths must take the responsibility to firmly establish the State at the world stage,” Sonowal said.
Urging the members of the Mising community to empower themselves with knowledge acquired through education while working for removing the evils of superstitious beliefs from the society, the chief minister said that teachers and parents must motivate the young children to inculcate a strong mindset to excel in today’s highly competitive environment. He also announced setting up of a ‘sanskritik kshetra’ (cultural arena) at Jonai for preserving the Mising cultural heritage.
Saying that many people in Jonai have not been able to get land patta, Sonowal said that the state government has decided to give land patta to 1 lakh people this year so that rights of the indigenous people over their land can be protected.
The Committee for Protection of Land Rights of the Indigenous People of Assam headed by Hari Shankar Brahma is constituted by the State Government for sustaining land rights of the locals and a land policy would be formulated soon so that there are no landless people in the state, he stated.
Appreciating the festive atmosphere of Jonai for Ali Aye Ligang, the chief minister urged the youth to work hard for increasing productivity through self employment endeavours.
He also said that certain vested interest groups are trying to slow the pace of state’s growth and he called the people to defeat such designs by joining hands with the government in taking the state into high growth trajectory.
Minister of State for Cultural Affairs Naba Kumar Doley, MLA Bhuban Pegu, and former president of Mising Sahitya Sabha Bidyeswar Doley also spoke in Wednesday’s programme.
MLA Rituparna Barua, CEM of Mising Autonomous Council Paramananda Chayengia, CEM of Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council Dipuranjan Makrari were also present among others.
