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.

... contd.