GUWAHATI, April 4: In a historic decision, the Assam Cabinet on Friday directed the withdrawal of all cases pending against members of the Koch-Rajbongshi community in foreigners’ tribunals (FTs) of the state.
Informing mediapersons here after the Cabinet meeting here, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state Cabinet has taken a historic decision to withdraw 28,000 pending cases against people belonging to the Koch-Rajbongshi community from the foreigners’ tribunals.
“As such, the ‘D’ (doubtful) voter tag, which was associated with their names for a long period would now cease to exist, a development which would undoubtedly come as a big relief to people from the community who have had to undergo extensive legal proceedings. The Koch Rajbongshi community is not just an indigenous group but an inseparable part of Assamese culture and heritage,” Sarma said.
Linguistic inclusivity
In another key move towards linguistic inclusivity, the Assam Cabinet decided to implement bilingual government communication across the state with effect from April 15, 2025.
“Starting from the first day of Bohag, the State Cabinet has approved the proposal that all government orders and office memorandums shall be issued in both Assamese and English,” the chief minister said.
“However, in Barak Valley, Bengali will also be used alongside English and Assamese; while in BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region), Bodo will be used in addition to English and Assamese. This decision is in consonance with the recommendations of the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee,” he said.
Initially, the departments have been advised to use the Bhashini App for assisting in translations.
Embankment protection
In another significant decision, the Assam Cabinet decided to engage local communities in flood monitoring and mitigation.
“The state Cabinet has approved the constitution of local embankment monitoring and flood preparedness committees. These committees shall be formed at the district/co-district and embankment levels,” the chief minister said.
The committees will comprise officials from the water resources department and 10 to 15 pro bono volunteers.
The volunteers shall be provided with appropriate gear such as raincoats, gum boots and torchlights. The committees will coordinate with the local authorities and regularly inspect the condition of the embankments.