Assam CM Himanta upgrades Govt Press with Japanese Komori offset machine
Synopsis
Assam's government has installed a Japanese Komori Lithrone G37 four-colour offset press at the Assam Government Press, announced by the Chief Minister's Office on 1 August 2026. The upgrade, under CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, aims to improve the quality of official state publications and gazettes.
Key Takeaways
The Assam Government Press has received a Komori Lithrone G37 (4 colour) offset press , a high-end Japanese printing machine.
The installation was announced by the Chief Minister's Office of Assam on 1 August 2026 .
Komori Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer renowned for precision offset printing technology used in commercial and institutional printing globally.
The upgrade is part of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma 's broader push to modernise state administrative infrastructure since May 2021 .
The Assam Government Press handles all official state publications, including legally binding gazettes and government orders.
A Japanese precision press now hums at the heart of Assam's official publishing infrastructure — and it signals something deliberate about how Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma is choosing to modernise the state's administrative backbone.
The Chief Minister's Office of Assam announced on Saturday, 1 August 2026 that an advanced Komori Lithrone G37 (4 colour) offset press — manufactured by Japan's Komori Corporation, a globally recognised name in high-end commercial printing — has been installed at the Assam Government Press, the state's official facility for producing gazettes, government orders, and official publications.
What the Komori Lithrone G37 brings to Guwahati
The Lithrone G37 is part of Komori's flagship offset series, engineered for high-speed, high-fidelity four-colour printing. For a government press that handles everything from legislative documents to official notifications, the shift from legacy equipment to this class of machinery means sharper reproduction, faster throughput, and print quality that meets modern archival and publishing standards. The upgrade is not cosmetic — it is a foundational change in what the state press can produce.Himanta's pattern of targeted capital investment
Since taking charge in May 2021, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has pursued a series of incremental but pointed upgrades to state-run institutions — replacing ageing infrastructure with imported, high-specification equipment rather than overhauling entire departments at once. The Komori installation fits squarely into that pattern. Across the northeast, several state governments have moved in a similar direction, retiring decades-old machinery in favour of precision imports that lift output quality without requiring a full institutional rebuild. The Assam Government Press, as the sole official printer for the state, carries a quiet but critical role: every gazette notification, every government order that has legal standing, passes through its presses. An upgrade here is, in effect, an upgrade to the state's administrative credibility. Whether this marks the beginning of a broader modernisation push at the press — including possible moves toward digital publishing platforms — remains the next question to watch.Point of View
Visible capital upgrades that modernise state capacity without large-scale structural reform. For a government press that underpins the legal and administrative machinery of the state, print quality is not a vanity metric; it is an institutional standard. The choice of a Japanese precision press over a domestic alternative also reflects a broader northeast India trend of sourcing high-specification equipment from established global manufacturers. The question this raises is whether Assam will pair hardware upgrades with a parallel push toward digital gazette publishing, as several other Indian states have begun to explore.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Komori Lithrone G37 offset press installed in Assam?
The Komori Lithrone G37 is a high-end four-colour offset printing press manufactured by Japan's Komori Corporation, known for precision, high-speed printing used in institutional and commercial applications. Assam has installed one at the Assam Government Press to improve the quality of official publications.
Why did the Assam Government upgrade the Assam Government Press?
The upgrade aims to enhance the quality of official state publications, including gazettes and government orders. The Assam Government, under CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been pursuing incremental modernisation of state-run facilities and administrative infrastructure since 2021.
What does the Assam Government Press do?
The Assam Government Press is the official state printing facility responsible for producing government gazettes, official notifications, legislative documents, and other state publications that carry legal and administrative authority.
Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?
Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma is the Chief Minister of Assam, in office since May 2021. He has overseen multiple administrative and infrastructure modernisation drives in the state, including upgrades to government facilities and institutions.
Is Komori a reputed printing press manufacturer?
Yes. Komori Corporation is a Japanese company with a global reputation for manufacturing high-quality offset printing presses. Its Lithrone series is widely used in commercial and institutional printing for its precision and efficiency.
