Tough Road ahead for Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal

Sarbananda Sonowal was sworn in as Chief Minister of Assam yesterday. The win of BJP in Assam is attributed to lot of hard work put in by RSS and party members for more than two decades.

Today BJP has pan-Assamese identity as it has forged alliance with local political parties. BJP tied up with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and a few smaller political parties for 2016 Assam Assembly Election.

Now that the victory has been achieved and the government in place it is definitely not going to be a bed of roses for the new CM of Assam. Here are the issues that he will have to sort out to ensure that he delivers on what he has promised.

Sealing border

Sarbananda Sonowal in an interview mentioned that, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had given a two-year time frame for permanent sealing of the border. He added that his government will work towards finishing within that time frame the border sealing work, including the riverine border. One must say this will be easier said than done.

Avoid communal clashes

Assam is land of many communities. The lack of trust has resulted in clashes between local Bodos and Muslims who have roots in Bangladesh and this has troubled the state since 1950s. The latest clash had resulted in 77 deaths and displacement of 400,000 people in the state. For Sarbananda Sonowal it will be a daunting task to do the balancing act and maintain peace in the state.

Optimal utilisation of natural resources

Assamese tea makes day for crores of Indian each day but the tea plantations are not the only major source of revenue for the state. The state is rich in petroleum supplies however this has till date not helped the state in becoming a developed state. For the new CM it will be most important that he optimally utilises the natural resources of the state for the growth of Assam without destroying the environment.

Unemployment

To reap the benefit of demographic dividend the new CM will have to make sure that young graduates each year are absorbed into gainful employment. The faulty education system of the state is blamed for graduates that cannot be absorbed by sectors like Indian Railways and Indian Oil Corporation. Vacancies in these sectors are filled by eligible candidates from other states and youth of Assam has to migrate to other states in search of jobs.

Modernise agriculture

Agriculture contributes to one third of total GDP of the state however, it employees around 70% of the population of the state. This itself is the proof that agriculture in the state needs to be modernised on a war footing. First thing on the mind of the new CM should be floods that badly affect the families dependent on agriculture by destroying the crops.

Develop industries

Industries can help increase employment rate in the state and also as the state is located in such a manner that it is easy to use the state for trading with the neighbouring countries. By developing proper infrastructure facilities Assam can develop industries which are based on petroleum and also industries based on herbal products and cane and bamboo products among many other industries. It will completely depend on the new CM how he creates conducive environment for industries to flourish in the state.