Guwahati, July 15 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday called on legislators to transform their constituencies into self-reliant economic units, urging them to reduce dependence on food imports from other states and make Assam self-sufficient in milk, fish, meat and agricultural produce.

Addressing the Assembly during a discussion on the state government’s development agenda, Sarma said achieving self-reliance would be the most effective way to eliminate the “syndicate culture” in the state.

“The answer to ending the syndicate system is self-reliance. Once Assam becomes self-reliant, there will be no need to depend on resources coming from outside the state,” the Chief Minister said. He appealed to all MLAs to launch constituency-level campaigns aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in key sectors, including dairy, fisheries, livestock and agriculture.

Sarma said every Assembly constituency should aspire to become an “Atmanirbhar Constituency”, where essential commodities such as milk, fish, vegetables, potatoes and eggs are produced locally instead of being sourced from neighbouring constituencies or outside Assam.

“We speak about Atmanirbhar Bharat and Atmanirbhar Assam. Now we must work towards creating Atmanirbhar constituencies. My constituency should not need milk, fish or vegetables from elsewhere,” he said. The Chief Minister encouraged legislators to promote dairy cooperative societies, fish farming, piggery and poultry under various government schemes, saying these initiatives would strengthen rural livelihoods while boosting local production.

Referring to dairy giant Amul, Sarma said Assam should set an ambitious target of significantly increasing milk production. “If Amul can produce between 80 lakh and over 1 crore litres of milk daily, there is no reason why Assam cannot build dozens of successful dairy cooperatives and emerge as a leading milk-producing state,” he said.

CM Sarma also urged MLAs to ensure public cooperation in implementing government projects, particularly where land acquisition is required. He said landowners should receive fair compensation and adequate participation in the development process.

The Chief Minister described the next five years as crucial for Assam’s growth, saying the state had laid a strong foundation during the previous term but now needed to accelerate development.

He also reiterated the government’s commitment to expanding healthcare infrastructure, stating that every district in Assam would eventually have a medical college as part of the state’s long-term development strategy.

–IANS

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