The cabinet on Thursday decided to exempt SC, ST, Adivasi and other traditional forest dweller communities from this norm in order to remove the barrier for them to get into government services.
Members of the Kurukh Oraon community. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Dhemaji (Assam): The Assam cabinet on Thursday, abolished the need to adhere to a two-child norm for Scheduled Cast (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Adivasi and other traditional forest dweller communities in order to get a government job.
The state cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, exempted the communities from the purview of the Assam Public Services (Application of Small Family Norms in Direct Recruitment) Rules, 2019, an official communique said.
The government has decided to exempt the SC, S T, Adivasi and other traditional forest dweller communities from the two-child norm in order to “remove the barrier for them to get into Government services”, the note from the CMO said.
However, this does not explain what prompted the Assam government to change the population control policy, which was advocated regularly by Sarma and his colleagues.
On June 19, Sarma had said, the Assam government would gradually implement a two-child policy for availing benefits under specific state schemes.
Assam currently has a two-child norm, along with requirements of minimum educational qualifications and functional sanitary toilets, for contesting in gaon panchayat (village council) polls as per an amendment in 2018 to the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994.
Besides, the Assam Cabinet approved expenditure of Rs 2,500 crore to acquire assets of two defunct paper mills of Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Hindustan Paper Corp (HPC) and waive microfinance loans availed by poor women.
Briefing the press after the cabinet meeting, Sarma said Rs 700 crore was sanctioned for the paper mills and Rs 1,800 crore as the first instalment to repay microfinance loans.
“The cabinet approved a Rs 700-crore package for the two paper mills. Out of this, Rs 570 crore will go as a relief package to pay the dues of the employees, while the remaining will be used to pay other bills like electricity charges and payment to the liquidator,” he said.
After due formalities, the 470 acres of land owned by the HPC’s Cachar unit at Panchgram and Nagaon mill at Jagiroad will be transferred to the Assam government, he said.
On Wednesday, an agreement was signed between the Assam government and the unions of the two paper mills. As per the pact, the state government will acquire the assets of the mills and provide a relief package of Rs 570 crore to its employees.
The chief minister said the cabinet, which met outside Guwahati (around 460 km) for the first time, also approved Rs 1,800 crore to waive microfinance loans availed by poor women.
“We are considering those women in the first phase who are paying their instalments regularly. This will cover around 11 lakh women, who will be given benefits up to Rs 25,000,” he said.
The government will start disbursing the cheques from December 1 and the other categories of borrowers will be covered later, Sarma said.
On August 24, the state government had signed an agreement with 38 microfinance companies and banks for a Rs 12,000-crore Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS), 2021, benefitting several lakhs of women borrowers.
There were 14 lakh microfinance borrowers in the state till June this year and out of the Rs 12,000 crore credit portfolio, the state government will be required to expend around Rs 7,200 crore.
Sarma said the cabinet approved Rs 433 crore for various developmental projects to be implemented in Dhemaji district.
“Of this, Rs 183 crore will be spent in an embankment-cum-road project from Jonai to Majuli. Another Rs 150 crore was sanctioned for flood control measures in the district. Also, Rs 50 crore each has been approved for constructing a sports complex and an integrated DC office,” he added.
Besides, the cabinet gave its nod to go ahead with acquiring land in Dhemaji for constructing the proposed medical college, the Chief Minister said.
He further said that anomalies take place in issuance of OBC certificates, which is being done by the All Assam OBC Association or Sub-Divisional OBS Development Board at present, and the Cabinet decided to allow respective community boards or authorities to issue the certificates.
“The Sadou Asom Matak Sanmilan was authorised today to issue certificates to the Matak people. Gradually, it will be done for other OBC communities also,” he added.
Sarma also said that the Cabinet, which meets every week, will hold one sitting in a month outside Guwahati to understand issues of that particular district.
“It is not a ritual, but a way to connect with people. In the first week of November, the Cabinet meet will take place in Bongaigaon, while Haflong will host the next meet in December,” he added.
The government also decided to denotify the tribal belt in Charikoria-Dhakuakhana and Mukokseleng-Jonai, and Tai-Ahom. Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi and Gorkhas will have land rights there, provided they had settled before 2011.
source ; pti news
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