Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held an interactive meeting with intellectuals and leading citizens of the Muslim community.  Harmony has been reached with the indigenous Muslims of Assam on the state government's proposed new population initiative involving a two-child policy, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today. He will next attempt a similar agreement with Bengali-speaking members of the religious community, he said. Population explosion is a threat that needs to be managed if Assam has to become one of the top five states in the country, Chief Minister noted.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati after he met over 150 leading indigenous Muslim personalities from various fields, Sarma further said that it was agreed in the meeting that population explosion in some parts of Assam is a real threat to the development of the state. The meeting, titled ‘Alaap Alochana-Empowering the Religious Minorities’, was held to discuss the various socio-economic issues and problems faced by the community.

“We discussed a number of issues that the indigenous minority community is facing and it was agreed that population explosion in some parts of Assam is a real threat to the development of the state. This threat is most pronounced in the economic sphere,” said Sarma. In order to address various issues being faced by the community, eight sub-groups comprising members from the indigenous Muslim community will be formed in the state. The sub-groups will focus on health, education, population stabilisation, cultural identity, financial inclusion, women empowerment and skill development.

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