Guwahati, July 11: Assam has been chosen as the venue for the launch of Rahul Gandhi’s “visionary” initiative, Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi (AAKS), at the block level.
The pilot project aims at involving the youth to help the common man avail of benefits of the UPA government’s pro-people policies.
Assam Pradesh Youth Congress president Pijush Hazarika told reporters here today that the three-day block-level initiative, to be held at the Sarusajai Stadium here on July 18, was a first-of-its-kind convention of the programme in the country.
Rahul Gandhi, the AICC general secretary (in charge of Youth Congress), will attend the inaugural function.
Though the project was launched last year, this is the first time that block-level AAKS volunteers will be trained by experts drawn from both within and outside the state.
Already 6,552 sipahis have been selected from 10 districts of the state to attend the convention.
Besides, all the district and block presidents of the Youth Congress and district and block co-ordinators of the AAKS from all over the state will attend the meet.
“Since Assam’s programme is chosen as a pilot project of India, all the national level officer-bearers and co-ordinators of the Youth Congress, all national co-ordinators of the AAKS, presidents of Pradesh Youth Congress and state co-ordinators of AAKS from all over the country will be present. Besides, all Pradesh Youth Congress office-bearers and district presidents of the Northeast will be present,” Hazarika said.
The outcome of the deliberations will be implemented/replicated in the other states.
Rekibuddin Ahmed, a former president of Assam Youth Congress, said the programme was Rahul Gandhi’s vision that governance should reach the doorsteps of the people through the involvement of youth.
“There are a lot of pro-people initiatives like the NREGA, RTI, farmer loan waiver, health and pension schemes, the benefits of which has to reach the aam aadmi. The AAKS is aimed at achieving this objective,” he added.
Szarita Laitflang, AAKS national co-ordinator in charge of the Northeast, said Assam was chosen ahead of other states because of its organisational preparedness vis-à-vis the programme.
“The first phase covering the 10 districts in the state under AAKS is done with. It has the state, district, block and panchayat co-ordinators in place. Assam has shown that it is not behind other states and has set a good example for the other states in the Northeast to follow. The whole idea of Rahulji is to turn the AAKS into a vibrant initiative for positive change at the grassroots by targeting the aam aadmi. It is the Youth Congress’s flagship programme,” she said.
Laitflang said the national and state co-ordinators of AAKS were trained at a national-level convention last year. “For the first time we will be training block-level co-ordinators in Assam,” she added.
The 10 Assam districts from which block level volunteers have been chosen are Nagaon, Kamrup, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Barpeta, Mangaldoi, Darrang, Morigaon and Nalbari. The second phase will cover the remaining 17 districts of Assam.
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