Guwahati, Aug 18 — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the state government was expanding its co-district model to bring administration closer to the people and make governance more accessible.
Sarma said eight more co-districts would be created across the state, taking the total number of operational co-districts to 47.
"Good governance begins when the Government comes closer to the people. Our Co-district model is doing exactly that -- bringing administration within easier reach. With 39 already operational, we are now creating 8 more Co-districts to deepen Ease of Governance across Assam," the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
The co-district initiative is aimed at decentralising administrative functions and reducing the need for people in remote and far-flung areas to travel long distances to district headquarters for accessing government services. The Assam government had launched the co-district administration system as part of its efforts to strengthen grassroots governance and improve the delivery of public services. Under the model, selected administrative and government functions are brought closer to citizens through co-district offices, enabling people to access services and interact with the administration at locations nearer to their homes.
The initiative is particularly significant for Assam, where difficult terrain, long distances and connectivity challenges can make access to district-level administrative services difficult for residents of rural and remote areas. The state government has been highlighting administrative reforms and decentralisation as key components of its governance agenda, with the objective of making public services faster and more accessible.
The expansion of the co-district network is also expected to strengthen coordination between different government departments at the local level and facilitate quicker implementation of welfare and development programmes.
CM Sarma has repeatedly stressed the need to make governance more citizen-centric and reduce administrative hurdles for people seeking government services. The expansion comes amid the state government's broader push towards digital governance, administrative decentralisation and improving last-mile delivery of government schemes.
The Chief Minister said the additional co-districts would further deepen the government's efforts towards "Ease of Governance" across Assam. The move is expected to benefit residents by bringing administrative mechanisms closer to local communities and reducing dependence on district headquarters for routine government-related requirements.
The government is likely to notify the locations and administrative jurisdictions of the eight new co-districts as part of the expansion process. The co-district model has emerged as one of the Assam government's key administrative reforms aimed at strengthening decentralised governance and ensuring that government services reach citizens closer to their place of residence.