Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that there has been massive infiltration from Bangladesh to Assam and other parts of the country due to the unrest there.
While interacting with the newsmen on Wednesday, the CM said he had already taken up the issue of recent influx from Bangladesh to other northeastern states with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"After the unrest in Bangladesh, the textiles industry in the country has collapsed and the workers have been trying to infiltrate India through Assam and other northeastern states. Some of the Indian textiles companies are also incentivising this influx as they are getting cheap labour," Sarma said while adding that at least 20 to 30 Bangladeshis are being arrested almost every day by the Assam Police.
Sarma said that although there have been unrest and atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, the infiltrators do not belong to the minority community in Bangladesh but are rather majority community members.
"The minorities in Bangladesh who are facing atrocities are probably patriotic people, who do not want to leave the country. These people who are infiltrating are basically members of the majority community in Bangladesh. Most of them have been working as labourers in textiles industries in Bangladesh and as the industry has collapsed, they are entering India to work in the textiles industries here," said Sarma.
He said that the Assam government has been pushing back the infiltrators and added that the Assam government has pushed back over 1000 such infiltrators recently.
The Chief Minister said that the government needs to strike down such Indian textiles industries in India who have been incentivising the infiltrators from Bangladesh for cheap labour.
Expressing concern over the alarming situation of influx, Sarma said that he had taken up the matter in the last meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) with the chief ministers of the northeastern states and also with Union Home Minister.
The Chief Minister also highlighted several other developmental works undertaken by the BJP-led government in the state since 2021 and added that 2024 had lots of achievements for the state.
The Chief Minister said that the government had already launched a no cost insurance scheme for the state government employees who will receive an amount of Rs 10 lakh in case of natural death. "In case of accidental death, the state government employees will receive Rs 1 crore while in case of permanent disability, the amount will be Rs 1 crore. Similarly in case of partial permanent disability, one will receive Rs 80 lakh." He said that the scheme will come into effect from January 1, this year.
The chief minister also highlighted the government's achievement in setting up the semiconductor plant at Jagiroad and said that it will lead to direct or indirect employment of 30000 people in the state.
Asserting that the crime rate has also decreased in the state, the Chief Minister said that the government's efforts to hold the cabinet meetings outside Guwahati has also led to inclusion of peoples' issues in development agenda.
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