Fin Min on 2-day Assam visit; to lay university foundation and open Brahmaputra riverfront project

Guwahati: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to visit Assam for two days, starting Friday. Her itinerary includes attending the Bhumi Pujan ceremony at Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University in Gohpur on Saturday.This university will be Assam’s first institution focused on technical and vocational education and training.On Friday evening, Sitharaman will inaugurate the Guwahati Gateway Ghat terminal, India’s first modern river ferry terminal on the Brahmaputra, and the Brahmaputra riverfront project from Kachari Ghat to the new DC bungalow in the city. The state-of-the-art river terminal is located near Sukreswar Ghat in Guwahati.

The newly beautified Brahmaputra riverfront at Uzan Bazar near the Raj Bhavan will also be opened to the public on the occasion, offering a majestic view of the river.Upon her arrival in Guwahati, Sitharaman will inspect the construction of the upcoming Tata semiconductor project at Jagiroad and engage with young professionals. She will interact with approximately 300 young entrepreneurs of Assam at the semiconductor project site.

CM Sarma said, “On Nov 8, she (Sitharaman) will go to Gohpur and lay the foundation stone for the Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University.” The Assam cabinet earlier approved the university’s development at a cost of Rs 400 crore. Sarma added, “Guwahati riverfront, which we have developed along the road to Rajbhawan, will be inaugurated by Sitharaman ji after her arrival in Guwahati.”Before the foundation-laying ceremony of the university in Gohpur, CM Sarma on Thursday flagged off 270 vehicles carrying Amrit Kalash containing soil collected from every village and municipal ward for the university’s construction.

Two years ago, in 2023, the people of Assam donated soil from their villages during the Amrit Kalash Yatra. This soil will be used in the Bhumi Pujan of the university.Sarma noted that the Amrit Kalash Yatra was part of PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ initiative, which involved collecting soil or rice from every household across the state. Of the 540 Amrit Kalash received, 270 were sent to New Delhi for the Amrit Vatika near the National War Memorial, while the rest were preserved at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra.

Sarma expressed his pleasure in flagging off 270 Amrit Kalash for the Bhumi Pujan ceremony, symbolising the collective aspirations of Assam’s people.The chief minister described the university’s construction as one of the state’s most ambitious projects, dedicated to technology-based vocational education and training. It will be built over 731 bighas at Bholaguri Tea Estate in Gohpur, with an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore.

The Public Works Department has completed the tendering process, and construction is ready to begin. The state govt has ensured financial provisions for the university to become a modern educational institution offering advanced courses in emerging disciplines like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Blockchain.

Efforts are underway to establish academic collaboration with a reputed international institution. A govt release stated that financial compensation and rehabilitation arrangements have been made for Bholaguri Tea Estate workers. Professor Parameswar Iyer from IIT Guwahati has been appointed as the mentor to oversee the university’s academic and institutional framework.