** 99 State Govt staff conferred with Lok Seva Award
** Assam Secretariat to go digital from October 2
Even after partition, Bordoloi continued his fight to secure the future of Assam. Lokpriya saved Assam by foiling evil design of Cabinet Mission: Dr Sarma
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 5: “No Assamese can forget the role of Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi in thwarting the evil design of the Cabinet Mission which posed a threat to the existence of Assam,” said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Even after Independence and partition of the country, Bordoloi continued his fight to secure the future of Assam,” Sarma said while attending the Lok Kalyan Diwas organised centrally at Dispur playground, here on Friday.
The day was observed commemorating the 72nd death anniversary of the first chief minister of Assam.
Sarma said that Bordoloi played a crucial role in bringing administration of Naga Hills, Mizo Hills districts, Khasi-Jaintia Hills, Garo Hills and Mikir Hills under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution and giving the ‘Plains Tribe’ status to the tribal living in the plains.
Terming Bordoloi as an architect of modern Assam, the chief minister said, “Bordoloi played a great role in establishing a number of colleges, universities and other institutions for creating human resources of the state. Assam is greatly indebted to Lokpriya Bordoloi. It is because of his crucial role Assam has been saved from being part of East Pakistan now Bangladesh.”
The chief minister stressed that in only three years after the Independence; Bordoloi government brought about a paradigm shift in infrastructure development and laid the foundation of a modern Assam.
Alongside the celebrations of Lok Kalyan Diwas, Assam also marked the culmination of Mission Sadbhavana Phase I on Friday.
The chief minister said that under the mission, the government of Assam has been able to dispose of all petitions received so far, leading the government to dispose of 2.75 lakh files out of the 3.24 lakh files opened so far in Assam Secretariat.
He further highlighted that the files will be classified and some files will be kept, some will be sent to archives and others will be disposed off permanently by putting in a shredding machine.
The chief minister on this occasion also launched the process of shredding of files in Janata Bhawan.
Announcing that from the coming October 2, Assam Secretariat will completely become digital or e-office.
Under this, people from any part of the state or outside without coming to Janata Bhawan can make petitions for their job which the administration will dispose off without the petitioner having to come there physically.
He also said that every block in Janata Bhawan will have a nodal officer who will be exclusively responsible for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene of the blocks. Moreover, crèche will be opened in Janata Bhawan besides making provision of free bus services for the staff.
Sarma also launched a temporary record room and a CCTV monitoring facility in Janata Bhawan premises.
Earlier, the chief minister visited the samadhisthal of Lokpriya at Navagraha and paid his rich tributes to the stalwart of the independence struggle.
He also paid floral tributes to Surabala Bordoloi, wife of Gopinath Bordoloi on the occasion.
Notably, altogether 99 state government employees, 10 at the state level and 89 at the district level, in recognition of their meritorious services were conferred on the day.
As a part of the award each awardee was given a citation, rupees twenty five thousand and an extension of one year of their total service. Hence, an awardee of Lok Sewa Award will be superannuated at the age 61 years.
