Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, 15 July called on the state's legislators to transform their constituencies into self-sufficient economic units, urging a decisive shift away from dependence on food imports from other states. Speaking during an Assembly discussion on the state government's development agenda in Guwahati, Sarma said self-reliance in milk, fish, meat, vegetables and agricultural produce was both an economic imperative and the most effective antidote to entrenched syndicate networks.

The 'Atmanirbhar Constituency' Vision

Sarma called on every MLA to work toward making their constituency an 'Atmanirbhar Constituency' — one where essential commodities such as milk, fish, vegetables, potatoes and eggs are produced locally rather than sourced from neighbouring constituencies or outside Assam. 'We speak about Atmanirbhar Bharat and Atmanirbhar Assam. Now we must work towards creating Atmanirbhar constituencies. My constituency should not need milk, fish or vegetables from elsewhere,' he said.

Breaking the Syndicate Culture

The Chief Minister framed self-reliance explicitly as a structural solution to the state's syndicate problem. 'The answer to ending the syndicate system is self-reliance. Once Assam becomes self-reliant, there will be no need to depend on resources coming from outside the state,' Sarma said. Critics and civil society groups have long flagged syndicate networks — informal cartels controlling supply chains — as a drag on Assam's rural economy and a source of political patronage.

Dairy, Fisheries and Livestock Push

Sarma urged legislators to actively promote dairy cooperative societies, fish farming, piggery and poultry under existing government schemes, arguing these would simultaneously strengthen rural livelihoods and boost local production. Invoking dairy giant Amul as a benchmark, he set an ambitious target for the state. 'If Amul can produce between 80 lakh and over 1 crore litres of milk daily, there is no reason why Assam cannot build dozens of successful dairy cooperatives and emerge as a leading milk-producing state,' he said. Assam's current dairy output lags significantly behind national leaders, making the comparison a high bar — but one the Chief Minister described as achievable.

Land Acquisition and Public Cooperation

Sarma also urged MLAs to ensure public cooperation in implementing government projects, particularly where land acquisition is involved. He stressed that landowners must receive fair compensation and adequate participation in the development process — a signal that the government is aware of friction points that have stalled infrastructure projects in the past.

Long-Term Development Targets

The Chief Minister described the next five years as critical for Assam's growth trajectory, noting that the previous term had laid a strong foundation but that the pace of development now needed to accelerate. He reiterated the government's commitment to expanding healthcare infrastructure, stating that every district in Assam would eventually have a medical college as part of the state's long-term strategy. With assembly-level campaigns now expected to follow, the real measure of this push will be whether constituency-level production data improves in the years ahead.