Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said more than 450 government employees have been arrested since 2021, with Rs 12 crore in cash and 224.74 grams of gold seized from their possession.

The announcement was made during a discussion in the state assembly, where Sarma underscored his government’s zero-tolerance stance towards corruption.

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The arrested officials include 24 Class I officers, 349 Class II officers, and 349 Class III and IV staff. Out of these, 31 have already been convicted. The Chief Minister emphasized that this reflects the state government’s firm resolve to root out corrupt practices from the administration.

Apart from corruption, Sarma highlighted his government’s success in combating drug trafficking, cow smuggling, illegal coal mining, and illicit liquor trade—areas where previous governments had failed to act decisively.

Since 2021, Assam Police have seized drugs worth Rs 2,600 crore and arrested 19,000 peddlers. This is a sharp contrast to the Rs 400 crore worth of drugs confiscated between 2011 and 2015.

Similarly, Sarma pointed out the drastic reduction in rhino poaching, which has been a major concern in Assam’s wildlife conservation efforts. He claimed that while 25 rhino poaching cases were recorded in 2014, only two incidents were reported in 2024, and none in 2023.

Taking a jibe at the Congress regime, he questioned why former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and former Forest Minister Rakibul Hussain did not act decisively against poaching despite holding office multiple times.

The Chief Minister also addressed the rampant illegal betel nut trade, revealing that there were no arrests related to the betel nut syndicate between 2010 and 2016.

However, under his government, 700 individuals have been apprehended, and 6,000 tonnes of illegal supari have been seized.

Additionally, 724 cases have been registered in connection with smuggling activities. Sarma also announced that during the Advantage Assam summit, MoUs were signed to establish two betel nut processing units within the state, thereby reducing the need for smuggling.

The illicit liquor trade has also seen a significant crackdown. Over the past four years, the administration has seized three lakh litres of illicit liquor compared to just 950 litres between 2011 and 2015.

Coal smuggling, another long-standing issue, has also been addressed aggressively. Since 2021, 228 arrests have been made, and 3.3 million tonnes of illegal coal have been confiscated.

Sarma contrasted this with the previous Congress government’s record, where there were “zero arrests” from 2010 to 2015.

However, he admitted that challenges remain, citing the recent Umrangso coal mine tragedy where nine workers lost their lives due to rat-hole mining. The state government has paid Rs 10 lakh in compensation to each victim’s family and set up a judicial committee to investigate the incident.

Sarma also highlighted improvements in Assam’s law enforcement and judicial efficiency. The state’s conviction rate has surged to 25 percent from the previous six percent. Moreover, crime rates have dropped significantly, with the number of FIRs registered annually decreasing from 1.2 lakh in 2016 to just 40,000 cases currently.