Assam Cabinet: New SOP for distribution of urea in the state

Minister of Information and Public Relations Pijush Hazarika and Minister Atul Bora held a joint press conference to announce the decisions reached during today's cabinet meeting. The government of Assam established new standard operating procedures (SOP) for the distribution of urea in the state on Saturday.

“At the #AssamCabinet, we took some major decisions with regard to SOP for urea distribution, Mission Bhumiputra, new multi-speciality hospital, new Biodiversity Heritage Sites, job reservation for Divyanjans & special recruitment drive for ex-HPC staff, among others," tweeted Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The important decisions taken during the cabinet meeting are as follows:

SOP for urea distribution

New SOP for fertiliser-urea administration to streamline its administration, especially urea that is a controlled item under Essential Commodities Act, 1956 and prevent leakage & black marketing

Highlights

• Small tea garden associations, FPOS & farmer cooperatives to be provided retail licences

* Incentive of 20 per bag to be provided to retailers as dealer margin from State Govt

• Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB) will be the sole wholesaler supporting retailers without financial capacity to make advance deposits to companies

• Eliminate urea wholesalers from distribution channel to ensure secondary freight subsidy & dealer margin go directly to retailers, making urea available to farmers at notified price

Mission Bhumaputra

• Approval to Mission Bhumiputra to provide caste certificates to SC/ST/OBC/MOBC applicants in a simplified manner

Major components

i) Single application form for all castes to ensure a uniform & simplified procedure for issuing caste certificates

ii) Caste certificates to be issued digitally and stored in Digi locker

▸ If father's caste certificate is enclosed & found genuine, certificate will be issued instantly

▸ However, if any enquiry is required, it must be completed within 30 days and extendable by another 15 days in exceptional cases with due justification

▸ Details of all certificates issued will be available for public view

iii) Special drive for issue of caste certificates

▸ Will cover students of Class IX -XII in initial years

► DCs will get application forms printed and distributed through principals/headmasters

► The issued certificates will be distributed through principals/headmasters.

New Multi-Speciality Hospital

Approval to setting up Multi-Speciality Hospital (MSH) in partnership with IIT, Guwahati and any other willing philanthropic organisations

New Biodiversity Heritage Sites

• Notification of 'Hajong Tortoise Lake Biodiversity Area' in Dima Hasao and 'Borjuli Wild Rice site' in Sonitpur district as 2nd and 3rd Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) under Sec 37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 approved

• These two will be in addition to the existing BHS in Majuli

Redeveloping Police Reserve campuses

• Redevelopment of Assam Police Reserve campuses in Guwahati by upgrading existing buildings at i) AT Road, Fancy bazar, ii) Panbazar (opposite MMCH) and iii) 10th Battalion, Kahilipara campuses

• Redevelopment to be done at a cost of ₹544.54 cr at the 3 campuses whose total built-up area is 1,11,329 sq m.

Job reservation for Divyanjans

• 4% reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in direct recruitment to Grade I, II, III & IV posts

• This is in line with Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and rules framed by Gol in 2017

• Earlier, the benefits of such reservations were limited only to promotion in Grade III & IV posts. Now, extended to all posts, including Grade I & II.

Spl recruitment drive for ex-HPC staff

• Special recruitment drive to appoint 84 ex-workers/ex-employees of

Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd to various posts in GOA Departments as per their qualifications at entry level and equivalent to pay scale in State Govt against the appropriate posts by condoning upper age limit.