Assam: Important decisions taken on state cabinet meeting

Several key decisions were made at the Assam Cabinet meeting on Friday, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma announced them on Twitter.

CM wrote in his tweet, “At the weekly #AssamCabinet, we took several major decisions pertaining to land measurement, extending school coverage, issuance of caste certificates, conservation of nature and infrastructure development.”

Decisions on parity in land measuring, expanding school coverage, facilitating the issue of caste certificates, conservation of nature, and easing issuance of caste certificates,were announced in the official release.

Key decisions are as follow:

Parity in Land Measurement

• Approval to substitution of 1.5 katha of residential plot of land in notified Municipal Corporation/Municipal Board/Town Committee areas for measurement with square feet (1.5 katha to be equal to 4,320 sq ft)
• This will bring parity in land measurement in Brahmaputra & Barak Valleys by rationalising the dimension of land for meeting eligibility criterion of EWS in direct recruitment to Civil Posts/Services and admission to educational institutions

Extending School Cover

• To increase coverage of schools, 13 Adarsha Vidyalayas to be set up
• To improve education in tea garden areas, 97 Model Schools to be established

Easing Issuance of Caste Certificates

• Modified guidelines for issuance of caste certificates, including nature of documents required for establishing eligibility for getting such certificates, to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes/More Other Backward Classes
• DC will not insist on NRC document for application of caste certificate
• No enquiry required if satisfied with father's caste certificate.
• Enquiry, if any, will be limited to caste status only and will be completed within 45 days
• This will minimise the time & efforts in issuing Caste Certificates to applicants
• President & General Secretary of Nikhil Bishnupriya Manipuri Mahasabha, Assam State Committee recommended the authority for issuing of caste certificates to Bishnupriya Manipuri community.

Conservation of Nature

• Approval to Indo-French Park Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Environment & Forest Department, Assam and Agence Francaise de Development

• Benefits of MoU :

• Will bolster 2-way knowledge & experience sharing focused on protected areas

• Enhance cooperation between Forest Department & international stakeholders
• of Africa, Asia & France regarding biodiversity conservation in Indo-Pacific

• Foster bilateral dialogue in the field of environment carried out by the Ministry
• of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and French Ministries

For Infrastructure Development

• Approval to raising 170.15 crore as loan assistance from NABARD for 15 projects of PWD (Roads) under RIDF-XXVII in Golaghat, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, West Karbi Anglong, Charaideo & Baksa districts