Assam’s Governance Undergoes Comprehensive Overhaul, Emphasis on Citizen-Centric Administration

Guwahati: In a major change that seeks to revolutionize governance in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the state’s administrative system has been comprehensively overhauled to become more proactive and citizen-centric. The Chief Minister made the statement while speaking to a group of IAS officer trainees in the state capital.

Sarma stressed that the new vision entails a transition from the conventional bureaucracy to a more responsive one with a 24×7 citizen-centric model of service. He called upon the new officers to get on board with the change by saying in an X (formerly Twitter) post, “Governance has been through a gigantic transformation, and bureaucracy must perform in a proactive, 24×7 citizen-centric mode.”. This transformation is tangible and perceptible, and IAS officers have to adapt to the new imperatives.”

While speaking at the event, Sarma also referred to the increasing role of women in Assam’s workforce. Sarma reported that Assam has exceeded national averages in female labor participation, with 52.8% of the rural workforce and 31.5% of the urban workforce being made up of women. These percentages are higher than the national averages of 28% and 47.6%, respectively.

The Chief Minister credited such advancement to the government’s ongoing initiatives to empower women through policy measures which increase their engagement in the workforce. These are skill development programs and the provision of a secure environment for women.

Moreover, Sarma emphasized the state’s new program to provide greater support to female students pursuing higher education. The Nijut Moina program, involving an expenditure of ₹1,500 crore, will benefit 10 lakh girl students in Assam. During the first year, ₹240 crore will be distributed among 1.6 lakh students with monthly scholarships of ₹1,000 for undergraduate students and ₹2,500 for postgraduate students.

Sarma was optimistic that the Nijut Moina initiative would not only benefit female education but also help decrease the prevalence of child marriage in the state. “We hope that Nijut Moina will eliminate the evil of child marriage in Assam,” he further said.

With these reforms, the Assam government is looking to cement its governance framework and elevate the socio-economic status of its people, especially women, as the state remains committed to development and social welfare.