GUWAHATI, July 8: The Assam Cabinet has decided to approve the cow protection bill which will be placed before the state Assembly session.
“Some of the Cabinet decisions could not be announced yesterday. But one significant decision taken by the Cabinet was that it has decided to approve the cow protection bill which will be placed before the upcoming Assembly,” state minister Pijush Hazarika informed reporters here on Thursday Hazarika said.
While addressing the inaugural session of the 15th Assam Assembly in May, Governor Jagdish Mukhi had informed that the state government would introduce a cow protection bill in the Assembly and adopt a zero-tolerance policy for protecting cows.
The proposed bill envisages imposition of complete ban on transport of cattle outside the state and those found transporting cattle outside Assam would face stringent punishment.
Hazarika further said that eight Cabinet meetings held so far had laid emphasis on administrative reforms in the state.
“Keeping this trend unchanged, the Cabinet decided to facilitate easy access of registration for jobs to unemployed youths whereby they could now register online for employment rather than at employment exchanges,” the minister said.
The Cabinet also approved the merger of the department of pension and public grievances with the department of administrative reforms and training for greater synergy and efficiency as the latter is the nodal department.
“Besides, the civil, electrical and mechanical wings of the irrigation department have been merged as well for ease of work and prompt completion of projects,” he said.
The Cabinet has also decided that the Assam government would bear the expenses of officers who have to visit other Northeast states for cases related to border disputes.
“Among other decisions, the Cabinet decided that gaonburahs (village headman) will be named as ‘gaon pradhan’ and the minimum and maximum age eligibility (for occupying the stature) will be 30 years and 65 years,” he said.
“Bonafide citizens living in land where the government can allot patta will be eligible for relief in the wake of a natural calamity,” Hazarika said.
Meanwhile, state minister for welfare of plain tribe and backward classes (non-BTC), Ranoj Pegu informed about another Cabinet decision recognising permanent Gorkha residents of the four districts under Bodoland Territorial Region (living in BTR before the Bodoland Territorial Council was formed in 2003) as a protected class,
“Likewise, The Cabinet has declared people from the Tai-Ahom, Moran, Muttock, Sutiya and Gorkha communities as protected classes which will help them get land patta and facilitate ease of land sale and purchase,” the minister said.