ASSAM

Assam finance ministerAjanta Neogon Thursday tabled the budget for 2023-24 proposing Rs 5,000 crore over the next three years to help two lakh unemployed youths belonging to BPL and low-income families in self-EMPLOYMENT and Rs 4,700 crore to fight POVERTY by providing Health Insurance, financial support to Women, affordable housing and .
In many firsts, Neog has proposed a SwacchZila Puruskarof Rs 100 crore to the “Most Outstanding District Initiative”, reservation of seats in MBBS course for Assamese diaspora and a pilot project atTezpurto provide direct tap water supply that can be used for drinking and cooking purposes without any need for further treatment. High on an anticipated record-breaking expenditure of Rs 1.2 lakh crore at the end of 2022-23, Neog said the health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh each for 57 lakh families is the biggest such scheme in the country.

Underlining that child marriage is one of the prominent reasons for high maternal and infant mortality rates of the state, Neog also proposed a state mission to make the state free of child marriage by 2026-end and allocated Rs 200 crore for the purpose.

Chief minister Himanta BiswaSarma said the is committed to implement Prime MinisterNarendra Modis vision of providing clean tap water to all rural households inAssamby 2024 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

He said to boost the mission in Assam, all the implementing agencies should work in total synergy to bring the remaining 43 lakh households under this flagship scheme. Under the JJM, the water supply scheme will be put in place in every village in the state.

On the need of literature to provide knowledge to every stakeholder on the operation and sustenance of the mission, Sarma asked the implementing departments to publish a handbook.

People of the state will now be able to avail municipal Services sitting at Home. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched a host of online services including, procuring instant trade license, property tax assessment and payment and building permission.

He also distributed super sucker machines for the Guwahati under the Guwahati Smart City Project and truck-mounted cesspool cleaners. The CM also presented certificates, cash Awards and sanction letters to nine Urban Local Bodies, which had received awards under the Swachh Survekshan programme recently.

Sarma added that from now on people can get their building permission, trade license, learner’s license and property tax without going to the civic office. The CM said the civic body’s Mission Vasundhara has received positive response and nine lakh people have already applied for the service.

A one-day physical awareness program on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) was held at Borjalenga in Cachar district.

Ganesh Borah, Fishery Development Officer informed that as many as 261 stakeholders including fish farmers, fishery professionals, and unemployed youths covering three districts of Barak Valley took part in the program.

Chief ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma informed the state assembly that 1.36 lakh (1,36,173) cases are pending inForeigners (FT) inAssam.

Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, stated in a written reply to Congress MLA, Sherman Ali Ahmed that 181 detenues are lodged in six detention centres at present.

The house was informed that there are nine convicted Women foreigners along with 22 children who are now in three detention centres in Kokrajhar, Silchar andTezpur. Out of 22 juveniles, two are above 14 years and 20 children are below 14 years.

A total of 1,18,616 people were declared Indian nationals in due course and 1,39,900 were declared foreigners by the FTs as on April 30, 2021. Sarma replied that 321 foreigners have been repatriated and 181 are in detention centres.

The issue of doubtful voters or D voters (people who do not get voting rights), also drew the attention of the house. In another reply to the AIUDF legislator, Rafiqul Islam, Sarma informed that between 1997-98 to April 30 2021, a total 1,36,386 D voter cases were disposed of through FTs, whereas 90,810 cases are yet to be settled.

Assam chief ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma urged the state’s academic to work towards transforming the state into an educational hub in eastern India. He made this call while speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day conclave on implementation of National Education Policy 2020 in Assam at Assam Administrative Staff College.

The government of Assam has taken steps for speedy implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and accordingly launched this policy for higher education in the state on June 3.

The chief minister said there is a need for more discussion in the educational sphere on NE and to make students and parents fully aware of its various provisions. He also stressed on maintaining uniformity in academic calendar, syllabus and grading pattern by the universities in the state.

A majortempleinAssamhas signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two green NGOs, the Assam State Zoo cum and the Kamrup District Administration for long-term conservation of the rare freshwater black softshellturtle(Nilssonia nigricans).
The signing ceremony held at Kamrup deputy commissioner office also marked the launch of a vision document 2030 by setting in motion a plan to have a ecologically viable Population of 1000 adults of blacksoftshell turtlein Assam by 2030.

It was launched after Turtle Survival Alliance India and Help Earth signed the pact involving the Hayagriva Madhava Temple Committee. The ponds in the temple, revered by both Hindus and Buddhists, is at Hajo, about 30 km northwest of Guwahati, harbour various threatened species of turtles.

The species was thought to be extinct in the wild, only being confined to some religious sites in Northeastern India and Bangladesh. However, based on the preliminary information, its IUCN status has been downlisted to Critically Endangered in 2021 but does not enjoy legal protection under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

An MoU was signed to connect seven religious sites around the city through waterways, officials said. The project will facilitate hop on hop off ferry service, which will connect the seven historic and religious sites of Kamakhya, Pandunath, Aswaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar and Auniati Satra around Guwahati, an official release said. The agreement for development of riverine-based religious tourism circuit was inked by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Sagarmala Development Corporation Limited (SDCL), Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and the department of inland waterways transport (DIWT), Government of Assam, it said.

Considering the sudden surge in dailyCovid-19 casesinKamrup(Metro) district, the focus has shifted now on screening all passengers arriving in the state capital through air and rail routes. Fewer cases in the districts also point to the infection being brought in by in-bound passengers, opined Health experts.

Around 10,000 Covid tests were conducted in our district. We are going with the strategy of maximum tests to isolate the maximum number positive cases since Guwahati has been the most vulnerable due to the inflow of a large number of people from outside Assam.