Assam: BTC Assembly Passes Green Mission and Child Protection Resolution

The One-day Winter Session of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Legislative Assembly was held at Kokrajhar on Thursday. During the session, the House unanimously passed the resolution for Green Bodoland Mission and Child Friendly and Child Labour Free Bodoland.

In his address, BTC Chief Pramod Boro underscored the imperative of fostering environmentally sustainable development, aligning with globally recognized best practices to ensure a greener planet.

The Green Bodoland Mission, a pivotal component of this legislative session, entails an ambitious plan for mass-scale tree plantation spanning 2000 hectares within the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), with an estimated plantation of approximately 1 crore plants over a span of two years.

Additionally, the mission emphasizes crucial measures such as the prohibition of single-use plastic bags and sustainable groundwater management, all aimed at fortifying the region for a resilient and sustainable future. Notably, the legislative assembly earmarked two percent of the SOPD Budget 2023-24 to support the Green Bodoland Mission, underlining a tangible commitment to its realization.

Concurrently, the assembly also articulated a resolute commitment to achieving a child labour-free BTR, along with the elimination of child marriage, child exploitation, and child trafficking. To translate this commitment into action, the BTR government pledged to allocate one percent of its budget explicitly for the realization of child rights, with a focus on protecting and enhancing these rights in pursuit of the specified objectives.

In a significant development related to education, 259 teaching and non-teaching staff from 10 venture degree colleges in the Bodoland Territorial Region have been provincialized in partial fulfillment of the Bodo Peace Accord 2020. The colleges, including names like Tamulpur College, Dimakuchi College, and Bhergaon College, are now under the provincialized umbrella, a stride toward consolidating educational stability in the region.

This transformative step was achieved through collaborative efforts involving key stakeholders such as BTC Chief Pramod Boro, signatory organizations, and the BTR government working closely with the Assam government.

Addressing administrative challenges from the past, the assembly decentralized monitoring and supervision of projects across 16 different subjects and matters to deputy commissioners of specific districts. This move aimed to rectify issues like lack of accountability and delay in implementing government schemes. Subsequently, in the pursuit of good governance and effective service delivery, the assembly withdrew this order.

However, the assembly remains adaptive to future needs, retaining the option to reinstate such measures if deemed necessary. Noteworthy is the BTR government's commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability, as highlighted in the Bodo Peace Accord 2020, where district commissioners are mandated to report to the BTC chief through the chief executive officer regarding developmental activities in their respective districts.

Looking ahead, the education department is set to announce advertisements for filling 1216 elementary teacher positions. This strategic move is poised to address the longstanding shortfall of teachers in government and provincialized elementary schools, further underscoring the assembly's dedication to enhancing the educational landscape in the region.

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