HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 18: The Assam Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, approved a series of key decisions aimed at improving public infrastructure, streamlining land use policies, and extending welfare benefits.
The decisions were conveyed in an official statement issued after the meeting.
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One of the major approvals was for the construction of teachers’ quarters and students’ hostels at the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh.
The project, covering a total built-up area of 85,509 square metres, has been sanctioned at a cost of ₹357.28 crore.
It aims to enhance campus facilities and includes the construction of residences for faculty, gazetted and Grade-III staff, nursing staff, the principal, vice-principal and medical superintendent.
Hostels for MBBS and postgraduate students of both genders, a dining block, a GNM hostel for female students, and a community hall are also part of the development.
The Cabinet also approved land settlement under ‘Mission Basundhara 3.0’ through a digital allotment system for non-individual juridical entities.
In a separate decision, the Cabinet allowed land settlement to Dinesh Buragohain and 11 others in Kamolabaria mouza under the North Lakhimpur Revenue Circle.
Each beneficiary was allotted land measuring 1 katha and 5 lechas, and the government waived the applicable settlement premium.
In a move reflecting the state’s commitment to inclusive education, the Cabinet approved the setting up of a National University for Disability Studies.
The institution will be established on 150 bighas of government khas land at Village Deochar in Chhaygaon Revenue Circle.
The land will be transferred to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, with a waiver of ₹8.63 crore in premium to facilitate early implementation.
To streamline land availability for hydrocarbon exploration and production, the Cabinet decided to exempt such activities from the purview of the Assam Regulation of Reclassification and Reclassification cum Transfer of Lands Act, 2015.
The exemption will apply subject to the payment of applicable premiums.
The decision is expected to facilitate operations by companies such as Oil India Limited, ONGC and other entities authorised by the Centre.
The government clarified that land will not be acquired by default and companies may instead directly purchase or lease land through negotiated settlements with landowners.
These leases must be registered and contain details regarding tenure, compensation, and restoration duties, if any.
An online portal will be developed by the Revenue Department to enable hydrocarbon companies to apply for auto-reclassification and make premium payments digitally.
In recognition of the 200th year of Assam Tea, the Cabinet sanctioned ₹342 crore under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Eti Koli Duti Paat’ scheme.
This flagship initiative aims to support approximately seven lakh permanent and temporary tea garden workers, excluding management staff, by providing one-time financial assistance of ₹5,000 per eligible individual.
The assistance will be disbursed in a single instalment into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts to promote financial inclusion.
The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of willing employees and dependents of the Assam Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APDCL), Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Ltd (AEGCL), Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL) and Adarsh Vidyalayas under the Ayushman Asom–Mukhya Mantri Lok Sevak Arogya Yojana (AA–MMLSAY) on a voluntary basis.
Registered employees who pay the monthly subscription will be eligible to claim medical reimbursements from the month of registration, with inclusion under the scheme’s cashless module after one year.
Further, the Cabinet sanctioned long-term leases of government land for various healthcare and hospitality projects under the Advantage Assam 2.0 initiative.
Global Health Ltd (Medanta) will receive 3.5 acres for an advanced healthcare facility, Lineage Healthcare Ltd will receive 1 acre to develop women and child healthcare infrastructure, and RJ Corp Ltd will be allotted 1.75 acres for setting up a hotel.
The projects are also eligible for incentives under the state’s Investment and Industrial Policy, 2019.
In view of the severe drought-like conditions prevailing in parts of Assam, the Cabinet has identified the situation as a state-specific disaster.
It has accorded in-principle approval to extend compensation benefits to affected beneficiaries in selected districts as per norms under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
