Assam Cabinet: Bill to prevent magic healing gets nod

Open zoo in Namdang Reserve Forest in Dibrugarh

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet today took a slew of decisions, including the setting up of an open zoo and introducing a bill to prevent magic healing involving tantra, mantras, hypnosis, etc.

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Tourism Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said, "The Cabinet decided to set up an open zoo in the Namdang Reserve Forest in the Dibrugarh district. Rs 259 crore has been earmarked for this project that will have various facilities for tourists, including a wildlife safari. The open zoo will create direct and indirect job avenues for around 50,000 people."

To check unauthorised 'faith healing' treatments in the state, the minister said, "The Cabinet approved the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024. This bill will have provisions for imprisonment with a fine for people indulging in unauthorised magic healing practices like tantra, mantras, hypnotism, etc. The proposed law will treat such practices as criminal activities. Nobody can advertise such healings with hoarding or otherwise."

The minister said, "The Cabinet today approved the Dash Shahar, Ek Rupayan (ten towns, one implementation) programme. Under this programme, various schemes in ten different towns will be implemented at the same time and in the same manner. The ten towns are Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Jorhat, Tezpur, Bongaigaon, Diphu, Silchar, Dhubri, etc."

He further said the Cabinet decided to amend the Assam Municipal Act to pave the way for the creation of three types of cadres for municipal bodies. The services are: Assam Urban Administrative Services, Assam Urban Engineering Service, and Assam Urban Financial Service.

He also said that the Cabinet approved the creation of an additional 350 posts in the secretariat services. The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Village Defence Organisation Act.

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