Assam Cabinet: Budget session from 5 February 2024

Guwahati: The state cabinet took several important decisions today, including merger of two education boards, finalizing the date of the budget session and reduction in registration fees for EVs (electronic vehicles).

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Tourism Minister Jayant Mallabarua said that the cabinet has decided to start the next budget session on February 5, 2024. He said that the Governor will soon issue a notification to this effect.

Mallabarua said the cabinet decided to merge AHSEC (Assam Higher Secondary Education Council) and SEBA (Secondary Education Board, Assam) to pave the way for the formation of Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB).

Mallabarua further said that in order to popularize electric vehicles among the people of the state, the Cabinet has decided to reduce the registration fee of such vehicles from the existing ten percent to eight percent. He said that buyers of such vehicles can avail this benefit till March 2025.

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The cabinet also declared holiday in ten districts under the jurisdiction of Mising Autonomous Council (MAC) on the occasion of Ali Ai Ligang festival of Mising community, he said. These districts are Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Biswanath Chariyali, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Majuli.

Mallabarua said the Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval to the creation of Khasi-Jaintia Development Council in the state. This will benefit the Khasi-Jaintia people living in Barak Valley and hill districts.

Mallabarua further said that the state government will send a proposal to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs to recognize the Bayat community as a separate ST community and not the existing classification as ‘Kuki tribes including Bayats’.

According to the minister, the Cabinet decided to provide all facilities entitled to elected ward commissioners in ULBs (urban local bodies), except the right to vote, to the ward commissioners nominated by the government.

The Cabinet also decided to change the dates of Anna Seva Week under NFSA (National Food Security Act) to ‘1-10th’ instead of the existing ’10-16th’ of every month.

The Cabinet decided to provide land leases to 3,576 natives in nine districts under Bashundhara 2.0.

Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Bora said the Cabinet has decided to provide financial assistance to the committees organizing Rax Leela in the state. He said the government will give Rs 25,000 for three years to each committee organizing Rax Leela. He said that there are about 1900 such committees in the state.