Dispur: The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, met at Lok Sewa Bhawan on Monday and cleared a series of major decisions aimed at improving infrastructure, education, and social welfare across the state.
To ease traffic congestion in Silchar, the Cabinet approved an ambitious project for the construction of an elevated corridor along NH-306 from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point.
The project, sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 564.50 crore under SOPD-G for 2025–26, includes Rs. 100 crore earmarked for land acquisition.
The 3.5-km flyover will ensure smoother movement through Silchar’s core areas, cut travel time, and help reduce vehicular emissions, promoting cleaner urban mobility.
In the field of higher education, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st Year MBBS/BDS Courses) Rules, 2017.
Under the revised rules, candidates who are permanent residents of Assam but studied outside the state will now be eligible for admission under the state quota if they can establish three generations of residence, certified by the district commissioner.
The clause mandating study from Classes VII to XII in Assam has been removed.
Additionally, members of the Moran community residing in Arunachal Pradesh will now be treated at par with those in Assam for medical and dental admissions from the 2026 session.
To encourage school retention, the Cabinet sanctioned Rs. 130 crore for the procurement of bicycles to be distributed among 3,11,614 Class IX students across government schools.
Officials said the initiative is aimed at reducing dropout rates and improving transition from secondary to higher secondary education.
In another major welfare decision, the government approved the introduction of a Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) for state government employees.
The new scheme seeks to provide better old-age security, independent of market fluctuations.
The Cabinet also approved pay-related benefits for over 1,200 workers, granting the minimum of the pay scale to 1,231 muster roll, casual, and fixed-pay employees.
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The fixed pay for 99 Grade-IV staff under the General Administration Department was also enhanced to Rs. 16,400 per month.
In a move to expand financial inclusion, the government approved the addition of 10,186 community cadres of the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM) — including those from Bodoland Territorial Region districts — as new beneficiaries under the Orunodoi 3.0 Scheme, effective October 7.
This inclusion will add an estimated monthly expenditure of Rs. 1.27 crore to the scheme.
The Cabinet also decided to provide financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh each to the next of kin of nine Assamese workers who lost their lives in Tamil Nadu, from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
This will be in addition to compensation from their employer.
