Guwahati, February 17 More than 24,000 people have been arrested and over ₹3,000 crore worth of drugs have been seized in Assam during the last five years, state Finance Minister Ajanta Neog informed the House on Tuesday.
Presenting the interim Budget for 2026-27, Neog said the government has also cleared encroachments from 1.45 lakh bighas (about 48,000 acres) of public land since the Himanta Biswa Sarma government came to power in 2021.
"In the last five years since 2021, Assam has made over 24,000 drug-related arrests and seized drugs worth more than ₹3,001 crore, over seven times the recoveries made between 2011 and 2015," she said in her Budget speech.
Neog further said that through sustained and lawful action against encroachment, the Assam government has recovered around 1.45 lakh bighas of government land for public use and future development.
"A multi-pronged campaign against the social menace of child marriage involved strict enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, proactive police action and community awareness alongside schemes like Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina.
"Our resolve to protect women's dignity and strengthen her rights is further continued with passing the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Act, 2025, a decisive reform reflecting our commitment to justice within the home," she added.
The FM said Assam ranked first in the country in implementing the new criminal laws, achieving an implementation score of around 78.13 per cent, well above the national average of 53.69 per cent.
"These efforts have created a safer, more stable Assam, where peace is not temporary, but the foundation for lasting development," she added.
Neog said that since 2021, sustained peace efforts in Assam have led to a total of 9,022 former cadres depositing 1,012 sophisticated weapons.
"Over the past five years, our government has rehabilitated these misguided youths under the surrender-cum-rehabilitation framework, providing financial support packages that include ₹4 lakh fixed deposits and monthly stipends, along with assistance for livelihood activities," she added.
The government has secured four peace accords with ULFA, DNLA along with Karbi and Adivasi groups, paving the way for enduring peace, stability and integration.
"In the Union Budget 2026–27, the government of India has earmarked ₹500 crore as the first tranche of a ₹5,000 crore special development and rehabilitation package under the 2023 peace accord with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
"This is to support projects aimed at sustainable livelihoods, reintegration and long-term peace in Assam. Under the Memorandum of Settlement, our government has committed ₹3,000 crore from its own resources toward infrastructure and development projects linked to the ULFA peace agreement, complementing the Central support," Neog said.