While my first task was to bring the law and order situation under control and instil a sense of security, we also took stern measures to raise our own resources and bring about fiscal discipline as early as possible. As 80 per cent of our people live in rural areas, my immediate focus was to take the administration to their doorstep, for which we launched a very successful programme called “Raijor Podulit Raijor Sorkar” (people’s Government at people’s doorstep).

It was difficult ensuring a smooth flow of funds from the then NDA Government. Initially, it refused to provide us Central funds for schemes where we were unable to put our share of 25 per cent. It was after a lot of persuasion at the Prime Minister’s level and also after a lot of perseverance that we could get funds released for various developmental activities from the Centre. The panchayat elections, which the previous Government had not held for reasons best known to it, brought a new meaning to people’s participation at the grassroots level, and with it society also got its first taste of women’s empowerment.

Tackling unemployment too was a tough job, especially in a state where industrial activity and big investments have by and large remained absent. But a self-help group (SHG) movement that we triggered off within a few months of assuming office brought about an unbelievable silent revolution, and today we not only have over 1.50 lakh SHGs but also an atmosphere where the unemployed no longer looks just at the Government as an employment-provider. With panchayats in place, Central funds too started flowing in, and today Assam’s rural economy is at such a level that per capita income has shot up from Rs 10,718 in 2001-02 to an amazing Rs 22,081 in 2007-08.

The GDP, which stood at a dismal 2.1 per cent in 2001, has gone up to 8 per cent. And, thanks to the people’s positive mindset that we could bring about, Assam is today considered the fastest mover in overall rankings among all states of the country as revealed by an in-depth survey conducted by a leading magazine of the country.

Rural and overall economy also received a massive boost with our focus on road communication, and, while most roads have been repaired, we also added over 8,550 kms of road-length apart from 887 concrete bridges in the past seven years. It was only last week that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to our proposal of constructing four more bridges across the Brahmaputra, which will take up the total number of bridges on the river to nine by 2013. Sanctioning four bridges on the Brahmaputra at one go by a Prime Minister is not just a never-before decision, it is also a gesture of the UPA Government’s genuine interest and commitment towards balanced development of the country with special emphasis on Assam and the Northeast. Work on the East-West Corridor is going on in full swing while more trains and flights are coming into Assam from different regions of the country today.

It is true that we had to take loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to tide over our power shortage and financial problems. Without these loans, it would not have been possible to pull the state out of the morass that it was in when we took over. It was a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the ADB in 2004 that got us Rs 543.47 crore to bring about fiscal discipline in the state. An internal report of the ADB has already praised Assam for having overtaken states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala in the field of economic and fiscal reforms.

It was my Government that completed the 100-MW Karbi Langpi hydel project where 27 years were wasted in the name of construction. We also recently handed over the Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station to NTPC which will soon add 750 MW of power to our system. Similarly, construction of the Bogibeel bridge on the Brahmaputra was speeded up only after I took over.

One area where we are paying maximum attention is the younger generation. And my particular focus has been on education and knowledge. Assam is the first state in the country to provide computers to every high school, and also the first in providing a computer to every student who secured first division in high school final examinations. Thousands of school students have been sent on educational excursion to various parts of the state under the ‘Gyanjyoti’ programme, and one lakh girl students from BPL families have been given bicycles. Investing in education is definitely the best one can do, and we have not only rebuilt almost every primary school in the state, but now we are also waiting for a world-class university to take off. We will soon have a Knowledge City and a Science City near Guwahati, so that our young people may acquire maximum knowledge and equip themselves with skills that make them employable. Engineering colleges, technical schools and polytechnics have already received a new lease of life due to fresh investments while the pass percentage of students in various examinations has more than doubled in the past few years.

Health care too has undergone revolutionary changes, and a steady flow of funds, coupled with a better atmosphere has helped the Government health machinery win back the people’s confidence. We have opened evening OPDs in all government hospitals while IMR and MMR have come down significantly in recent years. We are also the first to have introduced health and accident insurance for the people, and today pacemakers and chemotherapy too have become free for most categories of people.

Yes, we have several major problems too, two most important being floods and infiltration. We are happy that the UPA Government has taken keen interest in solving the flood and erosion problem, and it was only last week that the Prime Minister said funds would not be a problem. Unlike our predecessors, we have taken a practical two-pronged approach to tackle influx from Bangladesh. One is to immediately put a full stop to fresh influx; and two, to speed up the process of detection and deportation under the prevalent laws and the Assam Accord. We are also updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) so that every post-1971 infiltrator could be detected, for which the UPA Government has given us its full backing.

But the biggest achievements that I would claim are: (a) changing the mindset of the people from a state of depression to optimism, and (b) changing the perception and image of Assam outside. Assam is no longer a land of ‘lahe lahe’ (laid-back attitude) and frequent bandhs. The younger generation is dreaming big, beginning to work hard, is willing to take risks and become successful in life. People outside too are changing their opinion about Assam. Insurgency is beginning to become a thing of the past, and big (industrial) houses are eyeing Assam as their next destination for investment. But I am clear about one thing: I am not for uprooting farmers to set up big industries. We welcome eco-friendly industries and units based on natural resources which do not disturb the environment. Assam, after all, is still one of the greenest states in the country.