Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said that to eradicate poverty and illiteracy, the Assam government has decided to take specific policy measures to reduce the minority population growth in Assam. In an interview with PTI, he said that the state government’s main aim is to expand health and educational initiatives by keeping an eye on the Muslim population through specific steps.
“This is not a political issue, but simply about the well-being of our mothers and sisters and above all, the well-being of the community,” the CM asserted. Assam has been successfully maintaining its annual population, but “when we lift the veil off the statistics, it is found that the Muslim population is growing at a rate of 29 percent (decadal), whereas the Hindus are growing at 10 percent”, he added.
Sarma said that he has been constantly in touch with the leaders of the Muslim communities and they will hold consultations with several organizations the next month. “Our policy parameters will include some incentives for the community like free education for girls till the university level, financial inclusion for minority women reservation in panchayats and government jobs, and establishment of colleges and universities for women in minority areas,” he said.
