HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 31: The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, approved a series of key decisions on Thursday, including the transfer of a high-profile death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a major expansion of a state-funded research scholarship scheme, and fresh provisions to secure land rights for tribal and indigenous communities.
In a major development, the Cabinet approved the transfer of the investigation into the alleged suicide of Assistant Engineer Joshita Das of the PWD’s Bongaigaon Sub-Division to the CBI.
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According to an official statement, a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already completed preliminary procedures including inquest, post-mortem, analysis of call detail records, and arrest of three accused persons.
The crime scene was videographed and examined by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory and Crime Scene Officer.
A notice under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was also issued.
However, citing the case’s public sensitivity and possible inter-state linkages, the Cabinet decided to hand over the probe to the central agency for a thorough investigation.
In another significant move, the Cabinet approved the expansion of the Chief Minister’s Jibon Anuprerana Scheme to cover all full-time current research scholars, including differently-abled scholars, admitted in any state or central public institution in Assam on or after April 1, 2021.
The inclusion of all eligible scholars from 2021 onwards will increase the beneficiary count from 1,300 to 9,953. The revised financial outlay for this expanded cohort stands at ₹26.21 crore.
The Cabinet also sanctioned an administrative approval for a 24×7 tap water supply project in Badarpur Town under the Town Water Supply Scheme, to be sourced from the Barak River.
With an estimated cost of ₹49.59 crore—including seven years of operations and maintenance—the project aims to meet potable water needs of 34,314 people until 2057.
The scheme will adopt advanced water management technologies to ensure uninterrupted access to drinking water.
Further, the Cabinet decided to permit the interchange of performance guarantees submitted by contractors involved in Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) schemes with their pending bill amounts, while retaining the retention money for contractual compliance.
This relief will only apply where the approved pending bill exceeds the performance guarantee value.
In a move aimed at social security, the Cabinet approved a ₹5 lakh ex-gratia assistance to the next of kin of SwaJal Mitras or Jal Sahayaks who die in harness.
This marks a step toward acknowledging the contributions of grassroots water workers.
On the education front, the Cabinet laid down new rules for the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for faculty members under the Directorate of Higher Education.
Seniority for those promoted to Selection and Senior Grades will now be counted from the date they attained eligibility.
However, this seniority will apply only for future promotion calculations and not for salary fixation or arrears.
To address land-related grievances among tribal and indigenous groups, the Cabinet approved settlement of land for 1,742 indigenous landless families in the periphery of Dhemaji Municipal Town.
The boundary of the municipal area will be reduced from 5 km to 1 km, thereby treating the outer areas as rural zones for land allocation and premium rates.
A one-time relief window until October 31, 2025, has also been granted to previously ineligible applicants to reapply under Mission Basundhara 2.0.
Lastly, the Cabinet approved the inclusion of Ahom, Matak, Moran, Chutia, Gorkha, Tea Garden, and Adivasi communities as protected classes of persons under Section 160(2) of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, in the Tirap Tribal Belt.
This inclusion applies to individuals occupying land prior to 2011 and will pave the way for land regularisation for over 20,000 individuals in these communities.
All decisions were confirmed through an official government statement following the Cabinet meeting.
