Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet has approved the constitution of an exclusive sessions court for day-to-day trial of the case relating to the demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg, in a move aimed at expediting the judicial process.
The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday.
According to details shared by Sarma on X, the dedicated court will conduct daily hearings to ensure focused, time-bound disposal of the case.
Among other key decisions, the Cabinet cleared the ‘ASHA Express’ scheme to provide two-wheelers to all active ASHA workers and supervisors across the state. The scheme will cover 33,656 ASHAs and 2,570 ASHA Supervisors at an estimated cost of Rs 270 crore, with the objective of improving mobility and strengthening last-mile healthcare delivery.
The Cabinet also granted administrative approval for setting up the College of Agriculture at Patharkandi in Sribhumi district. The project has been approved at a cost of Rs 7,122.22 crore and is expected to expand higher education opportunities in the region.
In a major welfare push, the government approved disbursement of Rs 79,000 per beneficiary to around 39.70 lakh beneficiaries under the Orunodoi scheme. Officials said a consolidated amount of Rs 3,600 crore will be released on March 10.
To boost the aviation sector, the Cabinet approved a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel from 23.65 paise to 18.65 paise in the rupee.
The Cabinet further sanctioned Rs 400 crore to the Mega Mission Society under the Chief Minister’s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana to facilitate benefits under various flagship programmes.
Customised incentives under the Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (IIPA) 2019 were also approved for two projects — an integrated shipyard and container shipping line at Dharapur in Guwahati, and a five-star hotel in Silchar.
In an environmental measure, the Cabinet approved notification of 1,397.58 hectares of the Bharalimukh area as a Proposed Reserve Forest to protect wildlife habitats and maintain ecological connectivity with Kaziranga National Park and other protected areas.
Additionally, the Cabinet cleared 249 proposals related to land settlement, including allotment to indigenous landless families, conversion of annual patta to periodic patta, and allotments to educational and government institutions as well as NGOs.