GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet approved a slew of important bills, including bills concerning the protection of the lands in Barpeta, Batadrava, and Majuli; the creation of micro tribal belts and blocks; the registration of Muslim marriages, etc.
Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “For the protection of lands in Barpeta, Batadrava, and Majuli, the Cabinet today approved the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Under this bill, the iconic structures at Batatdrava and Barpeta Xatra will be protected areas with a radius of five km. Other people will not be allowed to purchase land in these two areas, barring those who have been living in these areas for three consecutive generations. Under this bill, the entire Majuli district will be a protected area with restrictions on the sale of land. With a bridge connecting Majuli under construction, one day people from other areas will desecrate the sacred places on this river island. This list will include more places, especially those with 250-year-old iconic structures.”
The Chief Minister said that an amendment bill has included a new chapter in the Assam Land and Regulation Act, 1886, to pave the way for the creation of micro-tribal belts and blocks in the state. “This move is necessitated as many STs and SCs have age-old villages outside the existing tribal belts and blocks in the state. With a view to protecting the land rights of such people, we have incorporated Chapter XII into this Act. This chapter will allow the creation of villages with 80 percent or more ST and SC populations as micro-tribal belts and blocks. Of course, the government will hear public views before including such villages. A cabinet committee has been formed for that purpose,” he said.
CM Sarma added, “The Cabinet also approved another bill, the Assam Muslim Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Bill. Under this bill, the Kazis won’t be able to register Muslim marriages. Only sub-registrars can register Muslim marriages. This Bill prohibits the registration of marriages of minor girls that were not restricted in the earlier Act.”
The Assam CM further said that the government would fix the premium on urban lands allotted under Mission Basundhara 2.0 afresh so as to enable poor and middle-class beneficiaries to pay the premium. Most of such beneficiaries couldn’t pay the high premium fixed at the market rate.
The government has formed a Cabinet committee to revise the premium, he said.
“Apart from the existing 27 lakh beneficiaries under the Orunodoi Scheme, the government will include 12.60 lakh beneficiaries at the rate of 10,000 from each of the 126 LACs of the state. However, only families holding ration cards can add their names to the list of beneficiaries,” CM Sarma further added.
He concluded by saying that the cabinet decided to provide scooties to over 5,000 Jivika Sakhi Baideos. He said that the government holiday on the occasion of the tithi of Madhabdev would be on August 24, not August 23, as it appeared in the holiday list.
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