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Guwahati, Dec 28 (IANS) Assam's island district Majuli is all set to get an Ayurvedic hospital as Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a 50-bedded hospital in Sriram Chapori of Majuli. To be set up under the National AYUSH Mission, the proposed Ayurvedic hospital would be completed within a period of 18 months, the Chief Minister said, adding that it would be built at an expenditure of Rs 10.5 crore. "Various initiatives have been undertaken by the state government to improve health services in Majuli. To this end, the Majuli Sub-Divisional Civil Hospital will be upgraded to a district hospital at a cost of Rs 21 crore and a blood bank would also be set up with an expenditure of Rs. 5 crore," the Chief Minister said. Sonowal said the state government was planning to make Majuli a hub of traditional medical practices, apart from the initiatives to make this seat of Satriya culture as India's first carbon-neutral district. He also urged the people to remain alert against all divisive forces and promote harmony and unity amongst all communities. Calling upon the people to keep strict watch over timely completion of various projects launched in Majuli, Sonowal thanked the people of the district for their continuous support, which he termed as the source of his energy and strength to carry on with his mission to develop Assam. Further underlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas", the Chief Minister said the state government was taking proactive steps to develop all sections of the society equally. Stating that South East Asian countries were facing a dearth of skilled manpower, the Chief Minister informed that 249 Skill Development Centres had been started on Thursday in different parts of the state, which would play a crucial role in skilling and empowering the youth to find employment opportunities both across and outside the country. He also informed about singing of an MoU between the governments of Assam and Singapore for setting up a world class Skill Development Centre at Mangaldoi in Darrang district. Sonowal also urged the parents and the teachers to play an active role in inspiring the young generation to excel and compete with the rest of the world. River island Majuli, which is also a Legislative Assembly constituency represented by the Chief Minister himself, was used to be a sub-division of Jorhat district till last year. After the BJP government took charge in Assam in 2016, Majuli was upgraded to a district and several initiatives had already been taken to upgrade infrastructure in the island.