CM Sarma vows inclusive welfare as Assam launches 15-day ‘Dharti Aaba’ Abhiyan
Govt plans to implement the scheme within the year & bring about change within 5 years for tribes & indigenous communities
Guwahati, June 15: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday assured that no eligible indigenous or tribal beneficiary in Assam would be excluded from government welfare schemes.
Addressing a public meeting in Dibrugarh, Sarma said all government departments would work in close coordination to ensure that the benefits of both central and state schemes reach every entitled person.
He also announced that starting this year, Assam will implement the Centre’s Dharti Aaba Gram Utkarsh Yojana, a special initiative aimed at streamlining this coordinated effort and accelerating welfare delivery in tribal areas.
“Under the Dharti Aaba Gram Utkarsh Yojana, the government will ensure that both social and individual welfare measures are implemented effectively. Under the Sixth Schedule, we have autonomous councils that often lack adequate funds. However, through this scheme, both the councils and the state government can work together to ensure that every tribal village receives roads, electricity, and other benefits under government welfare programmes,” Sarma said.
The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jharkhand in November 2024, aims to saturate tribal and indigenous populations with key welfare schemes.
“With this initiative, the Centre wants to ensure that all flagship welfare schemes—PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, ration cards, Jan Dhan accounts, MGNREGA, among others—reach every eligible tribal household. The same approach will be applied to state schemes such as Nijut Moina, Mahila Udyamita, and Orunodoi,” Sarma added.
The Chief Minister said the state intends to implement the scheme within the year and deliver tangible changes in tribal and indigenous communities within five years.
“India has around 63,000 tribal villages and Assam accounts for about 6,000 of them. Development will only be meaningful when the benefits of welfare schemes reach these communities,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Sarma said the BJP’s “double engine government” is focused on inclusive growth.
“The Congress believed that only minorities could claim India’s resources. But under the BJP, our aim is to ensure benefits for all—indigenous, tribal, and minority communities—guided by Prime Minister Modi’s vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” he said.