Sonowal attends celebration of 60 years of OIL, provides financial aid to JLGs under ‘Project Rupantar’

While taking part in the celebration of 60 glorious years of India's second largest oil exploration and production behemoth Oil India Limited at South Bank oil well at Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district, the Assam CM said that, it has generated employment opportunities in the towns and villages of the state through which it has brought economic empowerment and made the people self-reliant.

OIL has also forayed into skill development and it must boost up initiatives in skilling the youth with greater focus.

Appreciating the team spirit of the OIL family, Sonowal said that OIL’s benefits have not been limited to its employees alone but it has immensely contributed to the growth of Assam.

He further said that the Rs 10,000 crore MoU signed by Oil with Govt. of Assam at the Advantage Assam: Global Investors Summit would give an added impetus to the state's resurgent economy.

“Our Government has recently organized the Advantage Assam: Global Investors Summit with an aim to tap the huge ASEAN market. The Act East Policy envisages capitalizing the commercial and cultural relations that we share with the South East Asia,” Sonowal said adding that the State Government is committed to materialize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call of ‘Perform, Reform and Transform’ in Assam and a number of initiatives have already been launched keeping that in mind.

The Assam CM also said that the measures taken up by the government would greatly benefit the youth and urged them to work with honesty, integrity and hard work.

Sonowal called upon the people to continue their support to OIL in its journey towards excellence.

In connection with the celebration, awards of excellence for performance were presented in seven categories to OIL employees.

The Assam CM also ceremonially laid the foundation stone of a 60 years commemorative gate at the Naharkatia OIL well No 1.

While Chief Managing Director of OIL Utpal Bora delivered the welcome speech, Dibrugarh MP Rameswar Teli also spoke on the occasion. Local MLA Naresh Sonowal also graced the 60 years celebration of OIL in the programme.

Commemorating the celebration, OIL has also organised another programme for disbursement of financial assistance and inputs to joint liability groups (JLG) under its CSR scheme ‘Project Rupantar’ at Duliajan.

In the programme Sonowal distributed 150 Power Tillers, 50 pickup vans and financial assistance to 200 JLGs.

Speaking on the occasion chief minister Sonowal underlined various initiatives taken up by the Government of Assam to boost up the rural economy by revitalizing the farm sector.

He informed that the state government has already tied up with Assam Agricultural University Jorhat to bring rapid development in this sector.

Sonowal mentioned about the implementation of Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana under which the state government aims to provide tractors in 26 thousand villages of the state and emphasised on greater use of science and technology in the agriculture sector.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in women led development and that state government puts adequate thrust on women empowerment,” Sonowal said and expressed hope that OIL’s Project Rupantar would greatly benefit the women JLGs.

The Assam CM mentioned about the initiatives taken up by the State government for skill development of the youth and various other provisions made in the budget 2018-19 for generating employment and leveraging economy.

Sonowal sought people's cooperation in successful implementation of the schemes taken up by the government and reiterated that the state government’s fight against corruption would continue unabated to cleanse the administrative machinery from this social evil.

MP Rameshwar Teli, MLA Terosh Gowala, Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Laya Madduri, CMD OIL Utpal Bora and former Director of SIPRD Dr. Zakir also delivered speech in the programme.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)