If it worked for Nitish Kumar, it might as well work for Tarun Gogoi in the election year. Eyeing a third straight reign, Assam chief minister Gogoi sought inspiration in his Bihar counterpart’s Mukhya Mantri Poshak Yojana to announce a New Year gift — free school uniform for students up to Class VII.
Gogoi packaged this lift from Nitish Kumar’s roster of populist schemes with some ‘original’ ideas, such as giving shape to the Rajiv Gandhi Cooperative Management University at Sivasagar, 363 km east of Guwahati.
“This university is the first of its kind in India, and it will prove its indispensability 10 years from now,” said Gogoi. “Cooperative in whatever form is the way to go in a welfare state like ours. We have roped in experts from IIM-Ahmedabad to devise the curriculum and other aspects of this university.”
In keeping with his credo of rural development, the Assam chief minister also announced the creation of two ‘practical’ and ‘job-oriented’ set-ups —Employment Generation and Skill Development Corporation and Small and Marginal Farmers Development Corporation.