Guwahati, 17th October: In a Cabinet briefing which held on October 7, Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabariuah introduced a set of transformative initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Assam’s residents.
These announcements encompass a broad spectrum of issues, from cultural preservation to education and welfare.
The Assam government will allocate grants-in-aid of Rs 10,000 to a total of 6,953 puja pandals across the state to support cultural and community celebrations. This demonstrates the government’s dedication to preserving cultural heritage and promoting community engagement.
A significant aspect of this announcement is the initiation of laying foundation stones for 400 new school buildings, including the establishment of 100 entirely new schools in tea garden areas.
Moreover, older schools will receive ₹7 crore each for renovation. These foundation stones will be laid between December 25, 2023, and January 10, 2024.
During this period, all Cabinet Ministers will reside for five days and nights in specific villages selected from various zones to evaluate the practical implementation of welfare schemes and the level of progress achieved.
Assam is taking measures to allocate land to 123 indigenous, landless families, with 105 of these families in Charaideo and 18 in Darrang.
This initiative is a component of Mission Basundhara 2.0, expanding on the government’s efforts to provide housing security to landless families. More than 55,000 landless families have already been offered settlement opportunities.
The government has endorsed the holiday list for 2024 for state government employees, which consists of 36 gazetted holidays, 30 restricted holidays, and two half holidays.
District Collectors (DCs) have the authority to declare one local holiday of significance, except in Kamrup (Metro) District, where the General Administration Department can declare two local holidays.
To strengthen the financial health of the Assam Financial Corporation (AFC), the outstanding loan amount of ₹54 crore and outstanding interest of ₹10.92 crore as of March 31, 2023, will be transformed into equity capital.
This step is intended to bridge the gap in the Corporation’s equity capital, allowing it to continue its lending operations in various sectors, including MSME, microfinance, tourism, healthcare, and manufacturing.
The government is introducing an opt-in and opt-out system for Non Practising Allowance (NPA) for doctors under the Health Department.
This benefit will be available once every five years, beginning on January 1, 2024, to encourage doctors to provide high-quality patient care without worrying about financial implications.
Moreover, the administrative units of the Irrigation Department, excluding Sixth Schedule Areas, will be restructured in line with the delimitation of Legislative Assembly Constituencies. A uniform retirement date of April 30th will also be introduced for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers in mini Anganwadi Centers upon reaching 60 years of age.