Assam government to provide Rs 10,000 grants-in-aid to Puja pandals for Durga Puja celebrations

In a cabinet briefing held on October 17, 2023, Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabariuah unveiled a series of transformative initiatives aimed at enhancing the lives of Assam's residents. The announcement covers a wide range of issues, from cultural preservation to education and welfare.

In a move to support cultural and community celebrations, the Assam government will provide grants-in-aid of Rs 10,000 each to a total of 6,953 puja pandals across the state. This initiative reflects the government's commitment to preserving cultural heritage and fostering community engagement.

A significant highlight of the announcement is the plan to lay foundation stones for 400 new school buildings, with 100 entirely new schools set to be established in the tea garden areas. Furthermore, older schools will receive ₹7 crore each for renovation. These foundation stones will be laid between December 25, 2023, and January 10, 2024. During this period, all Cabinet Ministers will stay for five days and nights in specific villages, chosen from different zones, to assess the practical implementation of welfare schemes and the level of saturation achieved.

Assam is taking steps to settle land in favor of 123 indigenous, landless families, with 105 of these families in Charaideo and 18 in Darrang. This initiative is a part of Mission Basundhara 2.0 and builds on the government's efforts to provide housing security to landless families. More than 55,000 landless families have already received offers of settlement.

The government has approved the holiday list for 2024 for state government employees. It includes 36 gazetted holidays, 30 restricted holidays, and two half holidays. District Collectors (DCs) have the authority to declare one local holiday of significance, except in Kamrup (Metro) District, where the General Administration Department can declare two local holidays.

To enhance the financial health of the Assam Financial Corporation (AFC), the outstanding loan amount of ₹54 crore and outstanding interest of ₹10.92 crore as of March 31, 2023, will be converted into equity capital. This move aims to reduce the gap in the equity capital base of the Corporation, allowing it to continue its lending operations in various sectors, such as MSME, microfinance, tourism, healthcare, and manufacturing.

The government is introducing an opt-in and opt-out system for Non Practising Allowance (NPA) for doctors under the Health Department. This will be provided once every five years, effective from January 1, 2024. The move aims to incentivize doctors to provide high-quality patient care without concerns about financial implications.

The administrative units of the Irrigation Department, excluding Sixth Schedule Areas, will be reorganized in line with the delimitation of Legislative Assembly Constituencies. Additionally, a uniform retirement date of April 30th will be introduced for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers in mini Anganwadi Centers upon reaching 60 years of age.