Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Guwahati is running dry. The Central Ground Water Board labeled the city semi-critical in its 2025 assessment. Other parts of Assam remain in the safe category. Public Health Engineering Minister Krishnendu Paul told the Legislative Assembly that the state pulls 2.93 billion cubic metres of groundwater annually. Arsenic haunts 4,586 habitations. Fluoride impacts another 306 areas. The state manages 88,419 total habitations and claims it is fixing the mess.
Health Minister Ashok Singhal addressed maternal health during Tuesday's Budget Session. He pointed to programs like the Janani Suraksha Yojana and the wage compensation scheme for tea garden workers. He noted that the state has rolled out multiple initiatives to improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths. These include the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan programme and surveillance efforts.
Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah gave an update on the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme. It now covers 39,51,968 people. The monthly payment jumped from 830 rupees to 1,250 rupees. Mallabaruah said future hikes depend on the state's fiscal position. He also addressed underspending in various departments. He told the House that the Finance Department cannot specify why several departments failed to utilise their entire budget allocations between the 2021-22 and 2024-25 financial years. Records for 2025-26 remain incomplete.
Soil Conservation Minister Ashwini Ray Sarkar noted the department planted trees on 5,800 hectares since 2016. He added that 202 vacant posts await state approval before they can be filled.
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