Elected panchayat members and their family members in Assam will receive free medical care from January 1.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement at the Panchayat Pratinidhi Sammelan held in Guwahati on Friday. The event was attended, among others, by Union home minister Amit Shah.
“I want to announce a first-of-its kind scheme for our panchayat representatives. From January 1, our state government will bear the complete cost of the medical treatment of all elected panchayat members and their families,” Sarma said.
The chief minister added: “It will be completely free, like facilities extended to state government employees.”
Sources said that this free treatment scheme could probably be the first in the country.
In return, Sarma wanted the elected members to work for a corruption-free panchayat and a corruption-free society. He also urged them to work with BJP’s ally AGP to ensure the alliance’s win in the 2026 Assembly polls.
The event was organised by the ruling NDA alliance in the state.
The BJP and its allies had swept the polls, winning 301 out of 379 Zila Parishad seats, 1,445 out of 2,188 Anachalik Parishad seats, and 21,920 Panchayat Ward member seats in the polls held in May.
Sarma also asserted that the BJP-led government will continue to free government and forest land from encroachers, while hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Jamiat leader Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani for threatening him.
He challenged them to fight against the Assamese people, trying to project it as a fight between them and the people of Assam.
“We will not rest till we free every inch of encroached land,” Sarma said.
He said the government is committed to granting all rights to the indigenous people and to withdrawing rights from illegal settlers.
“Through the Basundhara Scheme, land will be allotted to indigenous families, while land under illegal occupation will be reclaimed... I pledge to dedicate my life to the protection of our community, our land and our heritage,” Sarma said.