Assam Cabinet to Set-up a New Department for Welfare of Bodoland

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam Cabinet to Set-up Welfare of Bodoland Department The State Cabinet decided to set up a separate department for the welfare of Bodoland and streamlining the payments of old-age pension, widow pension and the pension for Divyangs; besides spelling out the duties and functions of the guardian ministers.

During its meeting on Wednesday, the Cabinet also decided to set up a Bodoland Administrative Staff College at Kokrajhar in line with the Assam Administrative Staff College located in Guwahati.

At present, the welfare schemes in the four BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) districts are being looked after by the WPT & DC Department.

Due to some departmental formalities, the payment of pension under the Kushal Konwar Old Age Pension Scheme, the Indira Miri Widow Pension Scheme and the Deendayal Divyang Yojana has not been regular. To streamline the payment of these three pension schemes, the Cabinet decided to empower the senior-most secretaries of the Social Welfare Department and the Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) Department to release the funds without moving the Finance Department for the ceiling. In the new system, the pension will be deposited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries directly through the treasuries.

While each of 13 lakh beneficiaries gets old-age pension amounting to Rs 250 per month, each of 1.70 lakh beneficiaries gets widow pension amounting to Rs 300 per month and each of 1.60 lakh Divyangs gets pension amounting to Rs 1,000 per month.

The Cabinet decided the duties and responsibilities of the guardian ministers. A guardian minister has to review various welfare schemes in the districts under him, take decisions on mitigation of public grievances, has to visit the districts under him regularly during calamities, has to identify obstacles for welfare schemes and report it to the Chief Minister.

The Cabinet condoled the demise of BPF MLA Majendra Narzary.

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