Mission Basundhara was not conceptualized to provide land pattas to the landless, but to only cater to the indigenous people of Assam, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the assembly today.
Speaking at the Motion of Thanks to the address of the Governor during the ongoing Budget session of the Assam Assembly, Sarma said that 13 lakh people have applied under Mission Basundhara. Out of them, 2.5 lakh people have been selected by the State-Level Advisory Committee.
He said, "The definition of indigenous will be made available by tomorrow. Those who have ancestral roots in Assam will be considered indigenous. Further, even converted Miyas who belonged to other religions previously and had roots in Assam will be considered under the Mission Basundhara."
The Assam CM mentioned, "SCs and STs will be prioritized under Mission Basundhara. Land survey is still underway in the Char areas. Under Mission Basundhara, there is provision to pay Rs 500 in three installments."
Sarma clarified the government's stance on land pattas to SCs and STs saying that no MLA has claimed that the marginalized communities will not receive land pattas. The concerned minister should be intimated regarding any issues with Mission Basundhara. "Government land pattas will not be allotted in Amingaon, Palasbari, and Suwalkuchi. The original inhabitants of the territory will be considered indigenous. Even we are not indigenous. We had come around 500 years ago. Now we are citizens. From February 16, we will begin distribution of land pattas in the state again," announced the CM in the assembly.
"Even illegal land brokers have applied under Mission Basundhara, however, it is only for the indigenous people. To provide landless indigenous people with land pattas, the government will usher in Basundhara-3 as well. Hiteswar Saikia was my guru. However, his government also did not provide two lakh land pattas. Even Tarun Gogoi government, and Mahanta government could not do so," the Assam CM said.
He then called for appreciation for cabinet colleague Jogen Mohan for the work he has done. No Indian state has witnessed such a revolution, he said, calling for the concerned minister to ensure applications for people of Barpeta are considered.
"Soon there will be land reform in the state. People settled in Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) will get land pattas. We are also planning to break down pattas to groupings. Land survey will soon be held in all villages where it has not been done yet. In Laharighat, 22 land grabbers are occupying 2,000 bighas of land. All of this land will be freed from illegal occupants. In the name of giving an opportunity to work on these lands, many enter into marriages. The issue concerning land pattas to SCs, STs and OBCs will be resolved within a year. We don't want votes, that is why will stop this illegal occupation of land in one day. Landless Muslims will also receive up to six to seven bighas of land patta. Even after that, the government will have lots of land. Some land grabbers took people to Lumding in the name of working on ginger farms, and settled them there. This government has done what the Congress could not do," added Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He continued saying, "Due to some land grabbers, Miya Muslims are not getting their rightful land pattas. All char areas will be surveyed after which land pattas will be allotted."
The Assam CM further said, "From now on, we will conduct cabinet meetings across Namghars. Land collected from across the state has been used for Kanaklata University. There should be no politics over the tricolour. Lachit has now been given a pedestal on the world stage. In 2026, our coalition will hit a century. We have never done communal politics. This has only been done by the opposition."
"This government has tried to erase the evil of child marriage. We have not compromised with anyone. In Guwahati, bridges and medical colleges have seen development. The situation is also bright in minority regions. There people have gained ration cards and government houses. Over 80 lakh people have come out from poverty. Earlier, with the votes from the tea tribe communities, many people became ministers and MLAs. However, they did not do anything for the people after winning elections. Ahom Maidams have received world recognition. Where Assam had six medical colleges, there are now 25 medical colleges. For the first time, Majuli has been connected to Jorhat and Lakhimpur. People of Assam are not inclined towards protests now. There is no organization that can divide Assam now. At present, people are talking about undivided Assam."
"Traveling on a helicopter is not a leisure activity. Did Congress leaders not use helicopters? I had used helicopters during the Hiteswar Saikia government. Then I used a helicopter for government work."
"For the development of people, this government has done a lot of work. 11,093,626 women had their microfinance loans waived off. For this, 2,081 crore has been expended. Soon, six lakh people will get homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. PM Modi will himself provide the keys to these homes. This is not the time to challenge the mainstream people of Assam. We have not taken loans against anyone's land. We only took as much loan that a government can take. The loans are provided after assessing the capability of returning it."
