HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 19: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday distributed appointment letters to 481 newly selected candidates under the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, Tourism, and Education Departments at a ceremonial function held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra.
According to an official statement, the distribution marks another step in the State Government’s ongoing effort to provide merit-based government employment, with nearly 1.20 lakh appointments made so far under the current administration.
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The appointees include 443 Veterinary Field Assistants under the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department, 12 Tourism Development Officers under the Tourism Department, and 26 candidates under the Education Department, comprising 23 DIET Lecturers and 3 SCERT Assistant Directors in the rank of Assistant Professor.
Speaking at the event, the chief minister reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency in recruitment and announced that around 40,000 more government appointments will be made in a single recruitment drive scheduled for October 10.
He expressed confidence that the state is on track to reach 1.60 lakh government appointments by that date, fulfilling the administration’s promise of one lakh jobs and beyond.
In his address, Sarma highlighted the growing importance of the animal husbandry sector in the rural economy.
While noting that Assam still lags behind in fully tapping its potential, he informed that the state government, in partnership with the National Dairy Development Board, has launched the North East Dairy and Foods Limited to produce and process up to 10 lakh litres of milk daily.
Infrastructure developments include new milk processing units of one lakh litre capacity in Dhemaji, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Cachar, a 25,000 litre unit in Bajali, and a three lakh litre facility in Guwahati.
A new one lakh litre unit is also to be set up at Rani near Guwahati by AMUL.
To encourage production, the government will offer a subsidy of ₹5 per litre for milk brought in for processing.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the College of Veterinary Science, in collaboration with the NDDB, is working on a cross-breeding project between Assam’s indigenous Lakhimi cows and Gujarat’s Gir breed.
Artificial insemination methods are being developed to improve yield.
The government aims to scale daily milk production to 15 lakh litres by 2030.
In addition, Sarma spoke on the importance of increasing local production in poultry and duck farming.
Currently, 90% of Assam’s egg consumption is met through imports.
He stated that if 1,000 entrepreneurs take the initiative, Assam could reach a production capacity of one crore eggs per day within three years.
On pork production, he noted the paradox of Northeast India having the country’s largest pork market but insufficient local production, and assured of the government’s efforts to address this.
He also noted plans to promote biogas and bio-CNG generation from cattle dung, allowing dairy farmers to benefit from an additional source of income.
Turning to the tourism sector, the chief minister highlighted Assam’s potential as a major destination.
He noted that Kaziranga National Park currently ranks third in terms of tourist footfall among India’s national parks and that both religious and nature tourism are on the rise.
He called for greater innovation and strategic planning to further boost tourism and stated that the government is committed to developing Dima Hasao into a premier tourist destination.
An amount of ₹4,000 crore has been sanctioned for road and infrastructure development in the region, with a five-year plan in place for its transformation. He urged the newly appointed Tourism Development Officers to play an active role in realising this vision.
In the education sector, Sarma reaffirmed the government’s focus on improving academic standards by appointing qualified, well-trained educators and ensuring that education continues to be a key pillar for development.
He stressed that the State Government has consistently prioritised the interests of the youth and backed this with concrete actions over the past four and a half years.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Tourism Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Minister of Education Ranoj Pegu, Minister of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Krishnendu Paul, Chairman of the Livestock and Poultry Corporation Manoj Saikia, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, Commissioner & Secretary of the Tourism Department Diganta Barah, Commissioner & Secretary of the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department M S Manivannan, Secretary of the Education Department Shah Nawaz Choudhury, and other senior officials from the respective departments.
