HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Sept 2: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday asserted that no government has ever created 100,000 jobs simultaneously since Independence.
He made this statement during a programme where he presented permanent appointment letters to 23,959 contractual and state pool teachers for upper and lower primary schools at the Veterinary College field in Guwahati’s Khanapara.
Sarma mentioned that during the last election, he committed to creating employment for 100,000 youth.
“Today is a memorable day for us as we achieve another significant milestone. During the last election, I promised that if our government came to power, we would employ 100,000 youth. Today, even without including these teachers, our recruitment process has resulted in 100,389 appointments. In other words, the state government has proudly exceeded its target of 100,000 recruitments. With the addition of the 23,959 teachers who are now permanently employed, the total number of state government employees since 2021 will reach 124,345. No government has managed to create 100,000 jobs simultaneously in the 78 years since Independence,” he added.
Sarma also expressed hope that this achievement would enable the government to maintain momentum in fulfilling the aspirations of Assam’s youth with the support of the people.
“Today, I congratulate everyone on surpassing the 100,000 recruitment mark for the youth of Assam. We will strive to create another 50,000 new government jobs by next year in sectors such as education, police, and ADRE, to meet our recruitment target of 50,000 jobs,” he stated.
According to an official statement, Assam has achieved an impressive milestone under the current government with a total of 124,345 appointments made so far. The recruitment drive has shown substantial growth: 4,779 candidates were selected by the end of 2021, 35,130 in 2022, and 55,593 in 2023. By August 26 this year, an additional 4,887 appointments were made.
Sarma highlighted that this robust recruitment effort underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities and ensuring a merit-based, transparent selection process throughout the state.
“Plans are underway to create 50,000 new government jobs in the coming years, aiming to significantly boost employment opportunities and strengthen the public sector workforce across various departments and services,” the statement quoted him as saying.
The chief minister also announced new benefits for the newly appointed teachers, including pensions under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and ‘Apon Ghar’ home loans without collateral.
The state government will request the State Bank of India to prioritise these loans, he said.
Additionally, if a teacher passes away during service, their family will now receive the full salary for the remainder of their service period.
Sarma urged the new appointees to dedicate themselves to enlightening society through education.
The chief minister emphasised that the presentation of the permanent appointment letters fulfils a long-standing demand of the teachers and added, “Each of these jobs has been delivered without a single instance of corruption.”
Also present at the event were minister of Education Dr Ranoj Pegu, minister of Power, Sports, and Youth Welfare Nandita Gorlosa, MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi, MLAs Hemanga Thakuria, Sushanta Borgohain, Lawrence Islary, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council chairman Rukma Gohain Baruah, School Education Secretary S N Chowdhury, and other dignitaries.
