SIVASAGAR, May 24 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said that the state government was doing the required homework for obtaining more funds from the Centre under the PM�s special Rs 20 lakh crore package.
Further, the state government is interested in investing more in agriculture, veterinary and animal husbandry, fishery and other allied sectors in order to strengthen the economy.
The Chief Minister while appreciating the hard work done by personnel of the medical, police and other departments in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, said that we should be vigilant against persons who flout the norms set by the government and called upon all to cooperate in the ongoing struggle to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
He also thanked the media for extending unstinted support to the government in this hour of crisis. The CM was addressing the media in front of Sivasagar (Urban) Civil Hospital after arriving from Demow quarantine centre at Demow Baruah Changmaigaon.
Sonowal said that the state was burdened with several other problems of enormous nature alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. They are flood and erosion.
He informed that he had directed the deputy commissioners to be fully prepared for these problems and seek cooperation from all section of the people, besides involving the Panchayat officials in tackling the myriad problems.
When asked if there was a steady flow of people from outside the state considering that Assam is a safe zone, Sonowal said that the government will not do anything against them at present as the government believes in the principle of one country, one nation and all the chief ministers are not discriminating among stranded people.
As a part of the official itinerary, Sonowal visited the quarantine centres at Demow ITI and then Sivasagar Model Hospital after arriving from Dibrugarh and took stock of the situation in the wake of the increased home bound passengers from other states.
In the meantime, Dr Hemanta Baruah, Senior Medical Officer briefed the Chief Minister on the present status of the quarantine facilities within the district. He was accompanied by Jorhat MP Topon Kumar Gogoi and Minister for Disaster Management Jogen Mohan, besides Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Lakhinandan Gogoi.
Meanwhile, one Nikunja Lata Deori of Bamrajabari near Demow tested positive for coronavirus and was sent to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital from the Lichubari-based quarantine facility.
She was serving in the SBI Customer Care Centre in Kokata and was returning home via bus on May 16.
