Guwahati : On the occasion of the 74th death anniversary of Bharat Ratna Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi, observed as Lok Kalyan Divas, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the Lok Sewa Award 2024 to 47 government employees and the Karma Shree Award to six teams of bureaucrats in recognition of their excellence in public administration at a function held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma led the state in paying rich tributes to Gopinath Bordoloi.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma congratulated the awardees and said, “Our public servants are taking forward the good governance initiatives of the government, driven by the philosophy and ideals of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi.

Today, we honoured such public servants with Karmashree and Lok Sewa Awards at all levels, from state to district, in recognition of their services to the people of Assam.”.

He further said that, along with taking part in the country’s freedom struggle, Gopinath Bordoloi played a crucial role in saving Assam from the ‘Grouping’ plan.

“Gopinath Bordoloi took an active role in safeguarding the land rights of the indigenous people and created tribal belts and blocks. It was a roadmap for building a modern Assam,” Sarma added.

The Chief Minister also said that in its bid to pay rich tributes to Gopinath Bordoloi, who was an architect of modern Assam, a freedom fighter, and a prudent politician, the state government has decided to observe his death anniversary on August 5 as Lok Kalyan Divas and honour government servants in recognition of their committed services with Karmashree and Lok Sewa Awards.

The CM said, “The awards were introduced to acknowledge the immense role government servants play behind the curtain to bring about positive changes in the lives of the people who receive government services.”.

Speaking on Mission Basundhara, the Chief Minister said in view of several issues in the revenue sector since independence, no solid steps have been taken to bring about land reform.

“Problems in the non-cadastral villages were not resolved. No definite action was initiated to allot land pattas. With the help of Mission Basundhara 1.0 and 2.0, 30 percent of land-related problems in the state have been resolved.

Moreover, with the help of Mission Basundhara 3.0, remaining land-related issues will be solved,” the Chief Minister said.

In view of the successful implementation of Mission Basundhara 1.0 and 2.0, the Principal Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management and the Director and Additional Director of Land Records were bestowed with the Karmashree Award.

Moreover, with regard to the inclusion of Charaideo Maidam in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, to recognise their efforts, the Commissioner and Secretary of the Indigenous Tribal Faith and Culture Department and the Director and Deputy Directors of Archaeology have also been honoured with the Karmashree Award.

In view of the success of admission in colleges through the Samarth Admission Portal and the seamless procedure it ensured for admission, the Secretary Higher Education, Director of Higher Education and OSD Directorate of Higher Education were conferred on Karmashree.

Sarma also thanked Mission Director Jal Jeevan Mission and its Assistant Mission Director for their extraordinary efforts in making the Jaldoot programme under JMM a success.

The Chief Minister also thanked DC Nagaon and its then DRCS and DPM, Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission for their innovation in Assam Pearl Farming in Nagaon, which earned them the Karmashree Award.

Moreover, DC Tinsukia, Divisional Forest Officer, Digboi and SP Tinsukia were also conferred on Karmashree for showing extraordinary dedication in the rehabilitation of Laika Forest Village from Dibru-Saikhowa National Park to degraded forests under Namphai Reserve Forest.

The Chief Minister, during his speech, also said that his government has been working very hard to remove all problems faced by government employees.

He hoped that the Apon Ghar Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar, reimbursement of medical bills, etc. would further motivate government employees to work with a re-invented work culture and commitment.

The Chief Minister said that the fact that, except for Home, Finance and CMO, the Assam Secretariat will have no ACS officers up to the rank of deputy secretary will facilitate new opportunities for the promotion of Grade III employees in Secretariat Services.

He also said that the Lok Kalyan Commission will formally start functioning on October 2.

Education Minister Dr. Ranoj Pegu, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan, Labour and Employment Minister Sanjoy Kishan, Power Minister Nandita Garlosa, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, DGP G.P. Singh, son of Gopinath Bordoloi Bolin Bordoloi and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma visited Nehru Park and offered his rich homage to Gopinath Bordoloi. He also participated in an all-faith prayer meeting organised on the occasion.

GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania, DC Kamrup (M) Sumit Sattawan and a host of others were also present on the occasion.