Guwahati, 10th June 2021: Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday urged Muslims to adopt a “civilized family planning policy” for population control and to reduce poverty.

The CM said that all the stakeholders of the community should come forward and support the government in reducing the poverty in the community, which is mainly due to the continuous increase in the population.

He said, “Government is the protector of all the underprivileged people, but it needs the support of the minority community to tackle the issue of population growth which is the root cause of poverty, illiteracy, and lack of proper family planning.” Sarma said that his government would work towards educating the women of the community so that the problem could be dealt with effectively.

He said that the government cannot allow encroachment on temples, Satra, and forest land. Members of the minority community have also assured the government that they do not want encroachment on these lands. The Chief Minister urged the leaders of the minority community to introspect and encourage people to practice population control.

Sarma has recently taken an oath as the Chief Minister of Assam. Before this, he was the Minister of Education and Health in the Sonowal-led government. Sarma, as education minister, had decided to shut down madrasas in the state.