Assam: SOP For Urea Distribution Among Decisions Taken In Cabinet Meeting

The government of Assam on Saturday announced new standard operating procedures (SOP) for the distribution of urea in the state.

State ministers Atul Bora and Pijush Hazarika addressed a joint press conference in which the decisions taken during the cabinet meeting held today were announced.

Chief Minister of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “At the #AssamCabinet, we took some major decisions with regard to SOP for urea distribution, Mission Bhumiputra, new multi-speciality hospital, new Biodiversity Heritage Sites, job reservation for Divyanjans & special recruitment drive for ex-HPC staff, among others.”

The major decisions taken during the cabinet meeting are as follows

SOP for urea distribution

• New SOP for fertiliser-urea administration to streamline its administration, especially urea that is a controlled item under Essential Commodities Act, 1956 and prevent leakage and black marketing.

Highlights

• Small tea garden associations, FPOS and farmer cooperatives to be provided retail licenses.

• Incentive of Rs 20 per bag to be provided to retailers as dealer margin from state government.

• Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB) will be the sole wholesaler supporting retailers without financial capacity to make advance deposits to companies.

• Eliminate urea wholesalers from distribution channel to ensure secondary freight subsidy and dealer margin go directly to retailers, making urea available to farmers at notified price.

Mission Bhumiputra

• Approval to Mission Bhumiputra to provide caste certificates to SC/ST/OBC/MOBC applicants in a simplified manner.

Major components

• Single application form for all castes to ensure a uniform and simplified procedure for issuing caste certificates.

Caste certificates to be issued digitally and stored in Digi locker

• If father's caste certificate is enclosed and found genuine, certificate will be issued instantly.

• However, if any enquiry is required, it must be completed within 30 days and extendable by another 15 days in exceptional cases with due justification.

• Details of all certificates issued will be available for public view.

Special drive for issue of caste certificates

• Will cover students of Class IX-XII in initial years.

• DCs will get application forms printed and distributed through principals and headmasters.

• The issued certificates will be distributed through principals and headmasters.

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New Multi-Speciality Hospital

• Approval to setting up Multi-Speciality Hospital (MSH) in partnership with IIT, Guwahati and any other willing philanthropic organizations.

New Biodiversity Heritage Sites

• Notification of 'Hajong Tortoise Lake Biodiversity Area' in Dima Hasao and 'Borjuli Wild Rice site' in Sonitpur district as second and third Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) under Sec 37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 approved.

• These two will be in addition to the existing BHS in Majuli.

Redeveloping Police Reserve campuses

• Redevelopment of Assam Police Reserve campuses in Guwahati by upgrading existing buildings at AT Road, Fancy bazaar, Panbazar opposite MMCH and 10th Battalion, Kahilipara campuses.

• Redevelopment to be done at a cost of Rs 544.54 crore at the 3 campuses whose total built-up area is 1,11,329 square metres.

Job reservation for Divyanjans

• 4% reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in direct recruitment to Grade I, II, III and IV posts.

• This is in line with Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and rules framed by the government of India in 2017.

• Earlier, the benefits of such reservations were limited only to promotion in Grade III and IV posts. Now extended to all posts, including Grade I and II.

Special recruitment drive for ex-HPC staff

• Special recruitment drive to appoint 84 ex-workers or ex-employees of Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd to various posts in government of Assam departments as per their qualifications at entry level and equivalent to pay scale in state government against the appropriate posts by condoning upper age limit.

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