In Assam, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Railways, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, flagged off three trains—the Guwahati-New Lakhimpur Jan Shatabdi Express, the New Bongaigaon-Guwahati passenger train, and the Tinsukia-Naharlagun Express—and dedicated a road over the bridge in Guwahati today. Mr Vaishnav inaugurated a 10 KW Akashvani Kokrajhar FM Station virtually from Guwahati. The minister also virtually launched the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology, Guwahati. DG Akashvani Dr. Pragya Paliwal Gaur, along with other dignitaries, was present on the occasion.
The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the Look East Policy into Act East Policy for the development of the North Eastern region and now investments are pouring into this region. The Centre has increased budgetary allocations for this area 5 times, as the Prime Minister considers North East as the growth engine of the nation.
Inaugurating the 10 KW Akashvani Kokrajhar FM Station virtually from Guwahati, Mr Vaishnaw said that the Centre has fulfilled the long dream of the Bodoland people. Akashvani Kokrajhar, which has been operating with a 20-kilowatt medium-wave transmitter since its inception on 15th August 1999, is now expanding its FM coverage. The new FM transmitter covers a radius of 70 kilometres with better reception quality in Kokrajhar and nearby districts Dhubri, Bongaigaon, and Chirang.
The minister will also visit the Tata semiconductor unit at Jagiroad in the Morigaon district. Later he will also review NF railway projects in Guwahati with senior officials before departing to New Delhi.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the technological revolution of our country can help us to realise our target of Viksit Bharat. He said that India is going to be a global manufacturing hub. The CM informed that semiconductor production is to be started from the Tata semiconductor unit at Jagiroad in Morigaon district by the end of this year.