Assam Cabinet decides to overhaul education, streamline schemes

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Besides an education overhaul, the State Cabinet on Thursday took a slew of decisions on the PM Kisan Nidhi Scheme, Jal Jibon Mission etc., to help the target beneficiaries accrue the maximum benefits.

Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said, "The Cabinet has decided to ensure quality education at grassroots. It decided to form two committees for vigilance and monitoring of schools, one each for district and block levels. These two committees will keep tabs on the attendance of teachers on duty, attendance of students, any interruption of power supply to schools, availability of desks and benches in schools, enrollment of dropout students etc.

"These two committees will comprise members from the Department of Education, Social Welfare Department, district administrations, award-winning teachers and a member each from the Power Department. Sometimes schools that have power connections fail to get uninterrupted power. These two committees will have to sort out such problems. These two committees will also hold regular meetings with the guardians of the students."

On the PM Kishan Nidhi Scheme, they said, "A farmer gets Rs 6,000 yearly in two instalments under the PM Kisan Nidhi Scheme. However, a farmer needs to show the patta of his land to avail of the benefits under this scheme. The ground reality in Assam remains that due to lack of land pattas several farmers cannot avail of the benefits under the PM Kisan Nidhi.

"For the benefit of the State farmers, the Cabinet has decided to relax the rules allowing farmers having touji and eksonia (annual) pattas also to avail of the benefits under the PM Kishan Nidhi Scheme. Small tea growers, horticulture farmers and even farmers living on forest land fulfilling the criteria for land rights can also get benefits under the PM Kisan Nidhi."

They further said that the centralization of power has been a deterrent for proper implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the State. "The Cabinet today decentralized the power by authorizing the deputy commissioners to sort out problems regarding land acquisitions that crop up while laying water pipelines. The Cabinet has also empowered the deputy commissioners to utilize funds up to Rs 10 crore under this mission. The Cabinet has allowed the implementation of schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission in tea gardens. The garden management will have to arrange lands for laying pipelines," the duo said.

The two ministers further said that the Cabinet authorized the deputy commissioners to issue permissions to extract silt from river banks, especially in the banks of the Brahmaputra.

Earlier, the Forest Department used to issue permission for the extraction of silt from river banks. The duo said, "Since the procedure is too lengthy and complicated, there are loopholes that lead to poor revenue collection."

The Cabinet also approved the notification regarding the streamlining of project sanction procedures. According to the notification, departmental standing finance committees will sanction projects costing up to Rs 2 crore, the standing finance committee headed by the Chief Secretary will sanction projects costing up to Rs 10 crore, the standing finance committee headed by the Finance Minister will sanction projects costing up to Rs 100 crore and the departments concerned will have to place all projects costing over Rs 100 crore before the Cabinet for finsiancial sanction. All these standing finance committees will meet on their respective fixed days.

The Cabinet also decided to bring the Directorate of Archeology, Directorate of Museum and the Directorate of Historical and Antiquarian Studies under the newly created Department of Indigenous and Tribal Faiths and Culture, the two ministers said.

The Cabinet appointed former MP Rajen Gohain as the chairman of the State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (SFCSC) and Dr Noni Gopal Mahanta as the adviser of the Education Department. While the AFSSC chairman is a post of Cabinet rank, the post of adviser to the Education Department is a Minister of State Rank, the two ministers said.

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