HT Digital
GUWAHATI, Jan 11: In a significant move to accelerate development across sectors, the Assam Cabinet announced several groundbreaking decisions, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed on Saturday.
The measures aim to enhance urban planning, support small vendors, empower indigenous communities, and boost tea tourism and dairy farming in the state.
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Taking to the micro-blogging site X, Sarma stated, “Chaired the #AssamCabinet meeting where we took several important decisions.”
To promote Assam’s rich tea culture and attract tourists, the Cabinet approved two new tea tourism projects at Lepetkata Tea Estate in Dibrugarh and Durrung Tea Estate in Sonitpur.
These projects will bolster the local economy while showcasing Assam’s heritage.
The Cabinet also addressed the land rights concerns of indigenous families and public institutions such as Mandirs, Namghars, and others.
Additionally, it approved measures to prevent the conversion of the Deochali Proposed Reserve Forest into a Reserve Forest in Dibrugarh and extended the deadline for manual applications under Mission Basundhara for public institutions until January 31, 2025.
Meanwhile, providing much-needed relief to small vegetable and paan-tamul vendors, the Cabinet exempted them from paying any Mahaldari fees, offering financial ease to these traders and supporting grassroots-level economic activities.
To address long-standing grievances, the Cabinet also set up a sub-committee to examine the exclusion of eligible schools established before 2006 from provincialisation.
Recommendations for their inclusion are expected within a month, potentially benefiting thousands of students and educators.
Additionally, with a focus on tackling urban challenges like flooding and enhancing infrastructure, the Cabinet approved the restructuring of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Assam.
Meanwhile, marking a step toward a dairy revolution, the Cabinet approved two milk processing plants in Jorhat and Dibrugarh, each with a capacity of 100 TLPD.
Plans for additional plants in Dhemaji and Cachar were also revealed.
Additionally, to support dairy farmers, a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre will be provided via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for milk sold through dairy co-operative societies.
Furthermore, the Cabinet also announced the declaration of the oil palm crop as a cash crop in Assam and issued guidelines for creating industrial estates to promote and develop wood-based industries, providing a boost to natural industries and livelihoods.
