HBS Press Meet – Highlights

Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a press conference on Saturday in Guwahati where he announced a number of new constructions as well as job vacancies.

He also talked about a few policies which were revised after Unlock 4.0.

Key Highlights –

1. The second phase of recruitment of teachers has been announced with 3945 teacher posts in primary education and 5746 posts in high school. The advertisement for the same will be published later this month, he said, adding that the recruitment process will be completed by December.

2. Dialysis facilities will be installed in 20 hospitals across the state. Sarma said more than 55,000 kidney dialysis tests were conducted till now.

3. Four new medical colleges to be constructed in Biswanath Chariali, Charaideo, Goalpara and Guwahati. The largest medical college in eastern India will be in Guwahati, he said.

4. Nine new women's colleges and 10 law colleges to be constructed. The government also decided to set up six new undergraduate colleges in the near future.

6. A 4km flyover to be constructed in Maligaon of Guwahati as well as another one in Tezpur's Mission Chariali area.

7. A number of new safety corridors are slated to be constructed in various parts of Assam – Nagaon to Batadrava (24km), Jorhat to Kamarbhanda (32km), Bonshar tiniali to Hajo (8km), Palashbari to Chandubi, Sipajhat to Tongla (31km), Mukalmua to Jagra (16km), Rangiya to Nagrijuli, Dalgaon to Barsala, Gohpur to Halling, Hamren to Howraghat.

A new road will also be constructed from Chapaguri to Bhutan. The money for the above constructions will be spent from the government's own preferential funds, he said.

8. Sarma said the government has decided to get two new oxygen tanks due to the ongoing oxygen shortage in the state. A new Intesive Care Unit (ICU) is also planned in October.

9. Enterprises and industries to receive subsidies from today. They will also get relief in tax deductions.

10. No government functions to be held in five star hotels from now on.

11. Austerity policies, which were imposed by the government during the lockdown has been withdrawn. Departments will be able to make their own administrative and financial decisions.

Additionally, Sarma informed about Assam's current recovery rate, which stands at 78.3 percent. He also mentioned about Kamrup metro having the highest number of deaths in the whole of northeast.

The press meet was held at Janata Bhavan at 4pm.