GUWAHATI: The Assam State Cabinet has approved a budget allocation of Rs 135 crore for the Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) to construct ten cancer hospitals in the state.
The ambitious healthcare initiative will be carried out in two phases, with the first phase including the establishment of three cancer hospitals in Silchar, Guwahati, and Diphu, informed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through a post on social media post the meeting on Tuesday.
In the second phase of this healthcare endeavour, seven more cancer hospitals are set to be built in various locations across Assam, including Dhubri, Nalbari, Goalpara, Golaghat, Nagaon, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia.
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Furthermore, the completion of these projects is anticipated to generate employment opportunities, with Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah informing the press that approximately 8,000 jobs will be created as a result.
During the cabinet meeting, several other key decisions were also taken, including the allocation of Rs 133 crore for the “Free Drugs and Consumables for Government Hospitals” programme, a 4% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees and to include three eggs weekly as part of the mid-day meals provided under the PM-POSHAN program.
The cabinet meeting also resulted in a strategic decision to place the English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI) under the administrative control of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to ensure the optimal utilisation of educational resources.
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Furthermore, the cabinet decided that grants-in-aid of Rs 318.98 crore released to Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL) will be converted into equity investment for asset acquisition.
The cabinet made additional financial decisions, including the conversion of state government loans/unpaid interest to equity for Assam Hills Small Industries (AHSIDC) Limited, Assam Cooperative Jute Mills Limited (ACJML), and Assam State Warehousing Corporation (ASWC).
Lastly, the cabinet decided to initiate land settlement for 2,538 indigenous landless families in the second phase of Mission Basundhara, covering five districts – Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Dibrugarh, and Sonitpur.
