At a recent meeting in the state assembly, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the high population of the state is a “disease” for the state. This, he said, will adversely affect the state’s performance in various areas.
One of the main issues discussed during the meeting was the low gross enrolment ratio (GER) of Assam. According to the findings of a recent survey, the GER in Assam was 16.9 per cent, while the national average is 27.1 per cent.
In response to this, Chief Minister Sarma said that Assam’s GER is not less than the national average and that the real problem is the large population. He said that due to the large population, the state’s performance is affected.
He further said that the participation of colleges in the national survey on GER was low in Assam, which adversely affected the state’s position. He said that this time, all the colleges participated properly in the survey, due to which it will be possible to improve the state’s GER to 23-24 per cent.
The Chief Minister also said that there is no shortage of colleges in the state, and in some newly opened ones, there is a dearth of students. He said that the state government is aware of the problems faced by the youth and will provide incentives to them to pursue higher studies.
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He also said that a proper citizen movement is needed to address the problems of Assam. He said it is not the government but the people who have to bear the shame of poor performance. He said that the government has provided various facilities, but the people do not cooperate in even handing over the garbage.
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