Assam Cabinet: Budget session from February 5, 2024

Cabinet decides to merge SEBA and AHSEC

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The state Cabinet today took a slew of important decisions, including the merger of two education boards, the finalization of the date for the budget session, and a decrease in registration fees for EVs (electronic vehicles).

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Tourism Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said that the Cabinet decided to start the next budget session on February 5, 2024. He said that the Governor would issue a notification to this effect shortly.

Mallabaruah said that the Cabinet decided to merge the AHSEC (Assam Higher Secondary Education Council) and the SEBA (Board of Secondary Education, Assam) to pave the way for the formation of the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB).

Mallabaruah further said that in order to popularize electric vehicles among the people of the state, the Cabinet decided to slash the registration fees of such vehicles to eight percent from the existing ten percent. He said that buyers of such vehicles can avail of this benefit until March 2025.

The Cabinet also declared a holiday in the ten districts under the jurisdiction of the Mising Autonomous Council (MAC) on the occasion of the Ali Ai Ligang festival of the Mising community, he said. The districts are Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Biswanath Chariali, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Majuli.

Mallabaruah said that the Cabinet gave ex-post-facto approval for the creation of the Khasi-Jaintia Development Council in the state. This will benefit the Khasi-Jaintia people living in the Barak Valley and hill districts.

Mallabaruah further said that the state government would send a proposal to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs to recognize the Biate community as a separate ST community and not as the existing categorization 'Kuki tribes, including Biates'.

According to the Minister, the Cabinet decided to provide government-nominated ward commissioners with all facilities entitled to the elected ward commissioners in the ULBs (urban local bodies), barring the right to vote.

The Cabinet also decided to change the dates of the Anna Sewa Saptah to '1st-10th' of every month instead of the existing '10th-16th' of every month under the NFSA (National Food Security Act).

The Cabinet decided to provide land pattas to 3,576 indigenous people in nine districts under Basundhara 2.0.

Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah said that the Cabinet decided to extend financial assistance to the committees holding Raax Leela in the state. He said the government will extend Rs 25,000 each to committees holding Raax Leela for three years. He said that the state has around 1,900 such committees.

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