Assam: State cabinet takes significant decisions; Expansion of Orunodoi scheme

¦ Issuance of more ration cards

¦ Rationalization of panchayat areas

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The state cabinet, meeting after a long gap today, took several important decisions. The decisions included an expansion of Orunodoi and ration card schemes, rationalization of panchayat and block development offices, microfinance loan waiver, etc.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that panchayat elections will be held in the state in November, for which rationalization  of panchayat and block development offices will be done. This will be done as many panchayats are covering more than one district, or LAC, with some districts being divided into more than one panchayat, which was the result of the delimitation process carried out in the state. The process of rationalization will be completed by August, he said.

In a bid to make Orunodoi accessible to the last person, the ambit of its reach will be extended, and a study will be conducted to determine the additional people who will be brought into the fold of the scheme and the money required for this. Towards this end, a study will be conducted under the aegis of a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, and the report will be submitted within one month.

A recommendation for including Charaideo Maidam in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites has already been submitted by the Assam government. A meeting of UNESCO will be held in Delhi in July. Prior to this, the Assam government is contacting the ambassadors of UNESCO member countries to enlist their support in this endeavour, the CM said.

The cabinet also approved a MoU to be signed between the Assam government and Prasar Bharati. According to the proposed MoU, Prasar Bharati will telecast 52 episodes on Lachit Barphukan on all national and regional channels of Doordarshan. For this, the Assam government will spend an amount of Rs 10 crore, and Prasar Bharati will put up a similar amount for this purpose.

The cabinet today also approved the distribution of ration cards to another 15 lakh people, the CM stated.

Under the Nijut Moina scheme, the state government had decided to provide Rs 10,000 to matriculation-passed girls and Rs 12,500 to HS-passed girl students annually. The CM said, "We have received a suggestion that the beneficiaries of the Nijut Moina should receive an amount of around Rs 1,000 per month for better benefit of the girl students, instead of the amount being provided annually. The cabinet decided to set up a sub-committee under the chairmanship of education minister Ranoj Pegu to determine the efficacy of this proposal. The committee will have to submit its report within a week."

The state government also has a scheme named CM's Atmanirbhar Achoni. Under this scheme, unemployed youths were supposed to receive an amount of Rs 2 lakh for self-employment. Today's cabinet decided that 30,000 unemployed youth will be selected to receive an amount of Rs 1 lakh by September, the CM announced.

Moreover, the women who had availed of a loan of Rs 50,000 from microfinance companies will also have their loan amounts waived by September this year, the CM also stated.

The cabinet today also entrusted the Water Resources department with the responsibility of working out the details to construct an additional 264 km of new embankments, as announced by the CM.

Every year, on May 13, the death anniversary of Padma Shri Birubala Rabha will be observed as an Anti-Superstition Day to mark the efforts of this great lady to eradicate the evils of superstition and witch-hunting, the CM also remarked.

The cabinet also adopted a resolution to extend congratulations and best wishes to Narendra Modi, the only PM since Jawaharlal Nehru to occupy the seat of Prime Minister of India three times in a row.

 Also Read: Assam: Woman ‘deprived’ of Orunodoi scheme in Kamrup district (sentinelassam.com)

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