Himanta Biswa Sarma calls Assam assembly session ‘historic’, highlights major reforms

The recently concluded winter session of the Assam Assembly introduced a series of legislative changes covering social, educational, and land rights issues. 

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on December 3, stated on X, "This session of the #AssamAssembly was historic on many counts- from banning polygamy to approving new educational institutions and from preserving our Satras to conferring land rights to our Cha Shramiks- every section of Assam stands to benefit from the outcomes of the session." The reforms are designed to address longstanding concerns and aim to impact the state broadly.

A key legislative highlight was the passage of a bill banning polygamy in the state. The law prescribes rigorous penalties up to 10 years’ imprisonment for concealing existing marriages and up to seven years for entering into a second marriage without legally dissolving the first. The legislation also ensures compensation for victims while exempting indigenous communities from its purview.

On the education front, the Assembly cleared eight significant bills aimed at structural improvements. These include the establishment of four new universities, regulation of fees in private institutions, and provisions for teacher provincialisation and transfer to enhance service conditions and educational access.

In a move to preserve Assam’s cultural identity, the session approved the formation of a Satra Commission. The body will be responsible for safeguarding and developing Satra heritage, including the management of Satra lands an important step in protecting these key Vaishnavite institutional centres.

One of the session’s most consequential initiatives addresses long-standing grievances of the state’s tea garden community. The Assembly passed a bill conferring land rights (pattas) to tea garden workers living in line areas, an injustice that the Chief Minister said had persisted for generations. “Correcting years of injustice meted out to Assam's tea garden community, the bill will now ensure land rights to the people of the community,” Sarma said.

The government has expressed confidence that the far-reaching changes introduced during the session will advance social equity, strengthen the education sector and elevate marginalised communities across the state.