Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone for the 10th Assam Police Battalion (APBN) in Guwahati and said the event exemplified Assam's transformation in law and order under national leadership.

He said reforms since 2016 had been structural, systemic and measurable rather than incremental.

He added that Assam had adopted the SMART policing model and aligned with its principles.

Sonowal attributed change to strengthened intelligence coordination, infrastructure modernisation and a shift to citizen-centric policing.

He said recruitment reforms replaced opaque practices with transparent, merit-based and technology-driven processes, enabling litigation-free large-scale recruitments for the first time in Assam.

He described the MOITRI scheme as having modernised police stations, with more than 100 new stations completed, hundreds upgraded and infrastructure investment exceeding Rs 15 bn.

He highlighted initiatives such as cyber forensic laboratories, women’s cells, child-friendly police spaces and the Assam Police Sishu Mitra programme supported by a round-the-clock Child Rights Resource Hub.

He said technology had been integrated through digital case tracking, online complaint systems and strategic use of social media for real-time grievance redressal and youth engagement.

He said sustainable peace had been achieved through dialogue and decisive leadership, citing the Bodo Peace Accord and agreements with ULFA, NDFB and Karbi groups.

He said more than 10,800 former militants had returned to the mainstream and had deposited over 1,500 weapons, which underpinned investor confidence and industrial growth in the region.

He noted that the 10th APBN campus had been developed with an investment exceeding Rs 2.6 bn and a built-up area of more than 42,000 square metres and that its connectivity to National Highway 37 and the proposed Guwahati Ring Road would enable rapid deployment.