Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma takes the salute during the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Veterinary College Playground, Khanapara, in Guwahati, Assam, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026.
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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that Rs 1.50 lakh crore will be invested in capital expenditure in the state in the next five years, of which Rs 50,000 crore will be from its own resources.Speaking after hoisting the National Flag at the Independence Day celebration here, he also appealed to people from various parts of the country who have settled here to list ‘Assamese’ as their mother tongue during Census data collection.He, however, added that people of Barak Valley and tribals may mention their own languages in that category. The Barak Valley has a predominantly Bengali-speaking population.Rs 1.50 lakh crore infrastructure investment planned“For building a ‘Vikshit Assam’ by 2047, we shall be spending Rs 50,000 crore in capital expenditure. The next four years will see investment in roads, schools, urbanisation, rural growth, etc, and this will be from our own funds,” Sarma said, in his first Independence Day speech after retaining the chief minister’s position for the second term.“In the next five years, we shall try to get Rs 1 lakh crore from the central government. From 2026 to 2031, the state will spend Rs 1.50 lakh crore on infrastructure,” Sarma added.He said the state’s economy has tripled in a decade and the state is now known from ‘chai’ to ‘chip’ of semiconductors, referring to the upcoming Tata factory in the state.“We don’t have the sea and resources like Odisha; faced decades of insurgency; but the ‘Assam model of development’ is shining now,” the CM asserted.Assam model of development highlightedHe said schemes like ‘Orunodoi’ for women empowerment, transparently providing 1.65 lakh government jobs, digitalisation of administration, etc. are measures taken in the last five years that have transformed the state’s image.Thanking the people for reaffirming their trust in the BJP-led government in the April elections, Sarma said development will be further accelerated, and it can be seen through the steps taken in the first 100 days of the new regime, including bringing the Uniform Civil Code.He also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allotting massive infrastructure and other projects to the state, from highways to semiconductors, and from underwater tunnels to the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, without the state even having to demand these.Sarma stresses Assam’s identity and national songSarma maintained that mandatory rendition of the complete six stanzas of the Vande Mataram for the first time since independence made the occasion more special.
