Assam Cabinet Meeting Decides On Recruitment For 1 Lakh Jobs, Other Major Decisions Taken

Several key decisions were taken during the weekly Assam Cabinet meeting that was held today, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma informed.

The Assam CM tweeted, "In the weekly #AssamCabinet meeting today, we took several decisions regarding filling up over 1,350 vacancies, creation of Bajali Zila Parishad, making electricity cheaper, and approval to Handicraft Policy of Assam, 2022, among others".

He further wrote, "The Cabinet also decided on the formation of healthcare societies, Assam Youth Commission, boosting Assam Petrochemicals Ltd.".

The key points from the Cabinet Meeting are:

Towards 1 Lakh Jobs

• Filling up 611 vacancies of the Section Assistant (S.A) under various Divisions of Public Works (Roads) Department.

• Recruitment to fill up 743 vacant posts of Assistant Professor and 233 Grade III and 524 Grade IV posts in different Provincialised and Government Model colleges under Higher Education Department.

EVMs in Municipal Polls

• Approval to the final Election of Commissioners of Municipal Boards (Amendment) Rules, 2021 that will replace ballot papers with EVMs in Municipal Body Elections.
• Approval to amend GMC Act, 1969 and Guwahati Municipal Corporation Election Rules, 1973 to facilitate the use of EVMs in GMC Elections.

Creation of Bajali Zila Parishad

• Covering an area of 758.19 sq km, the Zila Parishad will be headquartered at DC Office, Bajali on a temporary basis. The new office will be set up at the allotted land of Bajali Anchalik Panchayat under Bajali Development Block, Choukhuty.

Making Electricity Cheaper

• Renewal of Power Purchase Agreement for 31 MW with NHPC till 2043 to help APDCL get powers at a relatively cheaper rate, thus benefiting consumers.

Boost To Handicraft

• Approval to handicraft Policy of Assam, 2022 to facilitate growth and development of craft-based industries and provide training and technological support to artisans and entrepreneurs.
• Provide market linkages and online marketing support to facilitate the export of products.

Handicraft Policy Highlights

• Capital Investment Subsidy up to 30 percent on the amount spent on Plant and Machinery with a ceiling of ₹15 lakh for new and ₹5 lakh for old Handicraft units.
• Interest Subsidy up to 5 percent on Working Capital loan for 5 years to all eligible units with a ceiling of ₹2 lakh per unit per year.
• Subsidy up to 50 percent on the marketing expenditure incurred by the Handicraft units for a period of three years subject to a maximum ceiling of ₹30,000 per annum.
• One-time financial assistance up to ₹30,000 to all eligible handicraft units for the development of a web portal/app for online marketing of their products.
• Three awards of ₹10,000 ₹7,500 and ₹5,000 to Handicraft Units in each district of Assam
• Setting up of Raw Material Banks
• Supporting design and development by roping in National Institute of Design, Export Promotion Council of Handicrafts, India Trade Promotion Organisation Development Commissioner, Government of India, etc.
• Providing Photo Identity Card to Artisans.
• Developing Clusters of a particular craft to scale up the production of Craft Village for the overall promotion of Handicraft.

Formation of Healthcare Societies

Assam Health Infrastructure Development and Management Society

• For the implementation of JICA assisted 'Strengthening Health Systems and Excellence of Medical Education in Assam' Project or any other externally aided or other special projects.

Super-Speciality Hospital (Cardiothoracic and Neurosciences Centre GMCH) Society

• To bring improvement in service quality, system efficacy, and patient satisfaction in hospitals and ensure discipline and accountability among staff.

Assam Youth Commission

• Approval to the constitution of Assam Youth Commission to protect the interest of the youth of Assam within and outside the state.
• Provide them employment, skill training, training for competitive exams, and a platform to register grievances.

Faster Flood and Erosion Management

• Approval to purchase of land directly from landowners instead of the general procedure of Land Acquisition to implement externally aided projects for flood and erosion management works.
• This will help reduce the time taken to complete the purchase process from 50 months to 6 months.

Boost to Assam Petrochemicals Ltd.

• Investment to Additional Equity Share Capital of ₹55.25 crore by the Assam government and ₹8.75 crore by SPSU Assam Gas Company Ltd in the Expansion Project of Assam Petrochemicals Ltd (APL).
• Alteration of MoA of APL for Enhancement of Authorised Share Capital of APL from ₹500 crore to ₹750 crore. MoA to empower APL to enhance Authorised Share Capital for Issuance of additional funds.

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