Centre Has Given Positive Response To Set Up India's Third Defence Corridor In Assam: CM

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has submitted a proposal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for setting up the third defence corridor in Assam. He said that the Union minister has given a positive response to his proposal and once approved, it will given a major boost to the state's economy. The first two such corridors are in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Guwahati: Assam has all the potential to become a defence corridor and the state government has proposed setting up the country's third defence corridor in the northeastern state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a press conference on Friday.

While interacting with media persons at Loksewa Bhawan at Dispur, Sarma said that the Defence Minister has given a positive response to the state government's proposal.

Proposal for Setting Up Defence Corridor

Sarma said the proposal was put forward by him during his recent visit to Delhi where the issue was discussed with Defence minister Rajnath Singh. Currently Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the two other defence corridors.

”After setting up a semiconductor unit, we intend to make the state a defence production hub and the defence minister has given a positive response to the proposal” Sarma said. However being a sensitive issue it might take some time as many key factors are involved in the process, he added.

Chief Minister also stressed that several factors need to be evaluated before taking the final decision and a defence corridor would significantly impact the state's economic landscape.

Discussion with Union Home Minister on AADHAR Card

Sarma said during his interaction, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured him that the issue of Aadhaar cards, many of which were blocked while taking the biometrics for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), will be resolved at the earliest.

In Assam, biometrics of 9.22 lakh people are suspended due to NRC. As these people do not have their Aadhaar cards they are deprived of various benefits.

Discussion for commissioning 4th Unit of BVFC At Namrup

Sarma discussed with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding financial assistance to build a satellite township near Guwahati, expansion of the Bongaigaon Oil Refinery, Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation in Namrup, and the commissioning of its fourth unit, he said.

CM Hails Union Budget

Though nothing substantial was mentioned in the Union Budget to deal with the flood problem that the state has been experiencing for a prolonged time, CM pointed out that for the first time the Union Budget acknowledged that Assam's floods are aggravated by water from outside the country. Lauding the Central government, Sarma asserted that the former is always ready to provide all kind of assistance on the issue.

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