Guwahati, 1 Aug

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on 8 September to inaugurate the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Bhupen Hazarika, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.

The PM will arrive first at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Golaghat district and dedicate to the nation the bio-ethanol plant, set up at a cost of Rs 4,200 crore, he said.

The PM will then travel to Mangaldoi in Darrang district, where he will inaugurate the Guwahati-Ring Road, a bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Kuruwa and Narengi in Guwahati, and also lay the foundation stone of the Mangaldoi Medical College Hospital.

In the evening, he will arrive in Guwahati and inaugurate the birth centenary celebrations of Assam's cultural doyen Bhupen Hazarika, Sarma said.

"The people of Assam are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the prime minister to inaugurate the various projects in the state, including the Bard of Brahmaputra's birth centenary celebrations organised by the state government," he said.

"The morale of the people in the state is very high due to the various developmental projects that have been initiated. We hope that in the next six months, the PM will inaugurate many of these projects," he said.

"All these development projects have been possible due to the liberal and generous funding due to the PM's initiative," he said.

The state government has also utilised the Centre's funding properly and used it for public welfare, he added.

The CM said he has directed the district commissioners to prepare a list of 50 people who had come into contact with Hazarika during his lifetime, and they will be invited to the function.

Besides, 1,000 artistes will also be invited to present together parts of Hazarika's prominent songs, he said.

Sarma also launched a portal where people who want to attend the function can register till 20 August. An invite will be sent to them by the state's Cultural Affairs Department.

He said that at the function, the PM will also launch Hazarika's biography.

The state government will also organise year-long celebrations across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh, to commemorate Hazarika's legacy.