ASSAM

Speaking at a training programme for urban planners on making river-sensitive master plans, Vaidya said non-strategic master plans have turned the five rivulets in Guwahati into sewage channels. Therefore, there is a need for action-oriented and strategic master plans for the cities so that the rivers can be covered.

It must be mentioned that Guwahati has five important rivulets and all of them are dying due to rapid encroachments and indiscriminate waste disposal. As many as 54 out of the 104 in the state have master plans but all are in the draft stage. Vaidya said, The plans implemented to date remained ineffective for some reasons. The demography as well as Geography have changed over the decades. Encroachment and lack of scientifically separate sewage channels have been stumbling blocks.

WhenHimanta Biswa Sarmais sworn-in asAssams 15th CM, he will be the seventh ex-student of northeasts premier Education institute, University(formerlyCotton College) to occupy the post of chief minister of the state.

Assams first premier in pre-Independence period, Saiyid Muhammad Saadulla, also studied at Cotton College, which was set up in 1901 by Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, then chief commissioner of Assam. The college was upgraded to a university in 2017 by then education minister, who happens to be Himanta Biswa Sarma himself.

Like many other political figures of the state, erstwhile Cotton College was the nursery of the best political minds in the state and Sarma studied here from 1985 till his postgraduation in 1992.

TheAssamgovernment was working to remove theArmed Forces Special Powers Actfrom five more districts as the law and order situation in the state had improved considerably during the last two years, Assam chief ministerHimanta Biswa Sarmasaid.

The removal of theAFSPAfrom 60 percent of the state and signing of peace accords with several armed groups of the state has led to an of peace, the chief minister said while addressing a press conference to mark the completion of two years of his government.

The centre had removed AFSPA from April 1,2022 from the entire state of Assam barring nine districts and a sub-division of Cachar district and later it was removed from the Lakhipur sub-division and West Karbi Anglong district.
The state was declared a ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990 and this was extended every six months since then.

Lineament is the linear feature in the landscape, determined by basic geological structures such as faults.

According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the Sonitpur area is located in a complex triangular area defined by the east-west Atherkhet fault, the northwest-southeast Kopili fault, and the north-south boundary.

Regular Earthquakes have been triggered by the two faults and the lineament, as well as the convergence of the Indian plate.

After the 6.4 earthquake on April 28 that destroyed many houses, bridges, and a river embankment, the National Centre of Seismology reported 29 earthquakes in Sonitpur with magnitudes ranging from 2.6 to 4.7.

TheAssamgovernment is set to conferAssam Baibhav, the states highest civilian award to industrialist and philanthropist Ratan NavalTata, though he will not be present in the glittering ceremony to be held in Guwahati.

Though Ratan Tata wont be present at the event, he is deeply touched by the state governments decision. Thank you for understanding my inability to personally receive the award at the function to be held in Guwahati on January 24th and for your willingness to present it to me at a later date in Mumbai, Tata wrote to Assam chief minister Himanta BiswaSarmain a letter.

The Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has petitioned the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) for a hike of Rs 1.25 per unit and the fixed charge by Rs 15 in power tariff with effect from April 1 for the period 2023-24 to meet its requirement of around Rs 10,000 crore, which would hit hard households that form around 93% of the companys consumer base.

According to the proposals, the tariff (which is a combination of fixed charges and variable charges) will shoot up by a minimum Rs 25.55 for Jeevan Dhara category for every kilowatt consumed per hour.

The Assam Cabinet decided to restructure the state Education policy, making school education a 15-year affair comprising four categories – foundation, preparatory, elementary and senior secondary – in accordance with the NEP, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The foundation category will have five years till class two while the next three years will be preparatory. The elementary category will comprise classes six, seven and eight, and the classes between nine and 12 will be called senior secondary.

In the National Education Policy (NEP) announced by the Centre last year, there will be a 5+3+3+4 structure comprising 12 years of school and three years of pre-school, replacing the old 10+2 structure. The change in the structure will be notified on April one, 2022 while the new syllabus will be introduced from April one, 2023, Sarma told reporters after the cabinet meeting held at Bongaigaon.

The Assam Cabinet decided that a dedicated portal for pension cases of employees will be launched to expeditiously provide post-retirement remuneration to pensioners. Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said the portal will be named as ‘Kritagyata’.

This portal will be the front-end for processing all pension cases and for matters related to pay fixation. Pension Seva Kendras will be set up by AMTRON (Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd) in all districts for government employees.

The minister also said that Rs 508.60 crore loan will be raised by the state government from NABARD for projects under the RIDF-XXVII (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund), to be repaid within seven years.

The cabinet further decided to allot lands to Mising Language & Cultural Research Centre in Dhemaji and NGO Barpeta Zila Mahila Samity in Barpeta.