HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 10: The Assam Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, approved a series of decisions aimed at strengthening public welfare, education, traditional institutions, and healthcare accountability in the state.
According to an official statement, the Cabinet gave its nod to the implementation of the Gaja Mitra Scheme in eight districts identified as highly prone to human-elephant conflict—Goalpara, Udalguri, Nagaon, Baksa, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, and Biswanath.
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As part of the scheme, community-based voluntary monitoring and rapid response teams will be formed in 80 locations.
Each team will comprise eight members drawn from local communities and operate for a six-month period, coinciding with the peak human-elephant conflict season, which aligns with the paddy cultivation cycle.
The initiative aims to establish a proactive, trained, and community-based support system that will assist the Forest Department in mitigating conflict, preserving lives and livelihoods, and ensuring safe corridors for elephant movement.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to enhance the monthly remuneration of Gaon Pradhans from the existing ₹9,000 to ₹14,000 with effect from October 1, 2025.
This increase, aligned with the state’s 2025–26 budget announcement, will also extend to Gaon Pradhans in forest villages.
In another administrative decision, the Cabinet de-notified two villages—Mornoi Bebejia and Bebejia—from the Subansiri Tribal Block under Subansiri Revenue Circle in Lakhimpur district, citing that the population of protected persons in these villages was below five percent.
In a move to support spiritual and cultural institutions, the Cabinet decided to offer a monthly stipend of ₹1,500 to celibate monks (Udasin Bhakats) residing in Satras across Assam.
The financial assistance is intended as both a gesture of respect and a means to support the wellbeing of these traditional custodians.
To address concerns over coercive practices in private healthcare, the Cabinet approved a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and regulatory guidelines aimed at curbing unethical conduct by private hospitals and nursing homes.
Key provisions of the guidelines include mandatory handover of deceased patients within two hours of death certification, irrespective of payment status, with violations attracting penal action.
All such incidents must be reported to the police and district health authority within four hours.
A 24×7 toll-free government helpline (104) will be set up for families to report coercive practices, with mandated escalation to relevant authorities.
Immediate action will be taken to release wrongfully withheld bodies and initiate legal proceedings. Penalties for offending hospitals may include license suspension, monetary fines up to ₹5 lakh, blacklisting, or permanent deregistration for repeat offences.
Further, the Cabinet approved the “Assam Goods and Services Tax (Reimbursement for Indigenous Bell Metal Industries) Scheme, 2025,” which aims to reimburse State GST paid by bell metal manufacturers.
The scheme is designed to ease the financial burden on traditional artisans and support the survival of the indigenous craft.
In the education sector, the Cabinet greenlit the “Prerona Aasoni” scheme, which will provide financial assistance of ₹300 per month to all Class X students studying in schools affiliated with the Assam State Secondary Education Board (ASSEB Div-I) and appearing in the HSLC Examination 2026.
The scheme will be implemented from November 1, 2025, and funds will be transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Additionally, the Cabinet approved an increase in state incentives for Anganwadi Workers and Helpers by ₹1,500 and ₹750 respectively, effective from October 1, 2025.
Following this revision, Anganwadi Workers will receive a total monthly remuneration of ₹8,000 and Helpers will receive ₹4,000.
Lastly, the Cabinet approved the proposal to change the name of Rabindranath Tagore University to Rabindranath Thakur Vishwavidyalaya.
