Assam Chief Minister to take ‘news’ to people before polls

Hussain said three projects have already been launched.

“We have plans to extend this to every panchayat area,” Hussain said. The state Government has also made budgetary allocations for this scheme.

Interestingly, the state is slated to witness panchayat polls later this year, and the Government decision is being seen as a move to tap the AIR potential to reach out to rural Assam and ensure a victory.

The Congress-led Government already has a weekly 30-minute slot on Doordarshan Guwahati where it highlights its developmental activities. The pilot project for fixed loudspeakers in panchayats has been launched in Titabor, Samaguri and Jalukbari, the Assembly constituencies represented by Gogoi, Hussain and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma.

The idea was in fact proposed by Hussain soon after he was appointed I&PR minister last year.

“First we used the fixed loudspeakers lying idle in Guwahati city to broadcast the evening local news. When this was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister, he asked me to extend it to all district towns which already have the fixed loudspeakers,” Hussain said.

The Chief Minister has also approved a scheme to distribute radio sets to people in the state.

“I have already distributed 3,000 radio sets in Samaguri,” he said.

The unique scheme has also caught the attention of Prasar Bharati. P K Bandopadhyaya, Director General (News) of AIR, who was also present on the occasion, said AIR had picked up the “Assam model” and asked other state Governments to replicate it.

“AIR has recommended this Assm model to other states for better dissemination of positive and developmental news,” Bandopadhyaya said.