Assam Cabinet approves key initiatives: Milk processing units, school provincialization, tourism in tea gardens, and more

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The State Cabinet took several decisions, including the setting up of milk processing units, provincialization of schools, taking up tourism projects in tea gardens, etc., today.

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The Cabinet today approved Rs 150 crore for the setting up of a milk processing unit each in Jorhat and Dibrugarh. The Cabinet has also asked the authorities concerned for the setting up of such units in Dhemaji and Cachar districts as well. The milk producers who sell milk to cooperative societies will get a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre from February.”

He said, “The Cabinet decided to convert the proposed reserved forest at Deosali into a revenue village, and that will let people residing there for years get land pattas.”

The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet approved a policy regarding the setting up of furniture-making units in tea gardens that have shedding trees. Such trees yield timber that can be used for making furniture in conformity with the policy. The cabinet also decided to set up tourism projects in two tea estates in the state.

The Chief Minister said, “The year 2006 was taken as the cut-off year for the provincialization of schools. However, some genuine schools were left out due to some technicalities. Today’s Cabinet meeting decided to form a cabinet subcommittee to reconsider the provincialization of the left-out schools. The subcommittee with Education Minister Ranoj Pegu as its chairman will submit its report within a month.”

He said that the Cabinet decided to form another Cabinet subcommittee to be headed by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog to look into the matters relating to the demand for the enhancement of remunerations of ASHA, mid-day meal, and anganwadi workers.

The Cabinet took yet another decision to exempt vegetable and betel nut vendors in weekly markets from paying any cess to lessees or mahaldars. Lessees take weekly markets on lease at high rates during auctions, and to make up that money, they often fleece such vendors.

The Chief Minister said, “The Cabinet decided to give the cash crop tag to oil palm so as to benefit the farmers.”

The cabinet extended the last date of application up to January 30 for religious and public institutions for land pattas under Mission Basundhara 3.0. Such institutions have the liberty to apply manually also.

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