Guwahati, Aug 1 (PTI) The Assam government has initiated the process of acquiring around 500 bighas (around 166 acres) near Guwahati airport to construct a stadium for concerts and a convention centre, but a section of media outlets is wrongfully claiming that the Adani group is acquiring it, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here.
The government aims to secure land from genuine investors who want to sell their land, and residents will not be evicted, Sarma assured at a press conference.
”This move has been initiated by the state government to safeguard the land for the people of Assam, and we plan to take up three specific projects in the area,” he said.
These include a state-of-the-art stadium to promote Assam’s concert economy, a convention centre on the lines of the Bharat Mandapam and an entertainment zone or amusement park on the lines of Universal Studios, but not on such a big scale, he added.
”All these projects will be fully planned and implemented by the state government and not by any industrial house”, he said.
He urged the media not to mislead the public, as ”we have seen recently that certain media houses are claiming that the state government is handing over land to Adani or Ambani”.
”If these industrial houses come to Assam, we will welcome them with garlands and open arms, but they are not coming here for every project,” he added.
The CM also announced that the third edition of the state’s flagship Orunodoi scheme, catering to women beneficiaries, will be launched on September 17, coinciding with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will cover 40 lakh beneficiaries in the state.
Sarma said the Orunodoi scheme was first introduced in the 2019 budget, followed by Orunodoi 2.0 after the formation of the current government, which benefited 28 lakh people, and was closed this July.
In Orunodoi 3.0, all beneficiaries have been linked with Aadhaar and will receive Rs 1,250 each. As part of the rollout, elected panchayat representatives and district administration officials will visit each beneficiary in August to present them with a book and a letter from the CM stating that they have been selected for the scheme, he added.
Sarma also announced a new initiative — Orunodoi Plus — which will be rolled out as a pilot project starting January 2026 for four months. Under this, eligible beneficiaries who purchase LPG cylinders will receive an additional Rs 250 subsidy.
“A form for LPG connection will also be provided with the letter, and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will inform the state government when the beneficiary buys gas. The Rs 250 will be directly credited to their bank account,” he said.
“We are launching the scheme initially for four months to test coordination among the agencies. If it works, we will scale it up,” he added.
Sarma also announced the launch of the second edition of the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme, providing financial support to eligible girl students for higher studies so that they do not drop out of school and become victims of child marriage.
The forms will be distributed to eligible girl students from August 6, he said.
Residents of Assam studying in central universities like Tezpur and Assam University will also be covered under the scheme.
The scheme was launched in October last year to provide financial assistance to girl students from higher secondary to post-graduate level in government and government-aided institutions, as most girls drop out of schools after class 10, and parents then marry them off. PTI DG DG MNB
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