GUWAHATI, Nov 2 � The State Cabinet today decided to fill up eight thousand vacant posts in the Police Department and directed the Social Welfare Department to prepare a data base of the mentally challenged persons in Assam.
The Cabinet meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in his official residence this evening, decided that a district-wise recruitment process to fill up the vacancies in the police department would start soon.
The Cabinet took note of the fact that a large number of mentally challenged persons have to wander around all over the State, particularly in towns and cities. The Social Welfare Department has been directed to prepare a data base of such persons so that they can be given treatment and rehabilitated. The Government will also engage non-governmental organisations with impeccable track records in implementation of the scheme.
Official sources revealed that the Cabinet decided to enhance the ex-gratia paid to the next of kin of the victims of violence to Rs 5 lakh each if the victim is above 18 years of age and to Rs 3 lakh if the victim is below that age. Similarly, the grant paid to those whose houses are damaged in natural calamities has been hiked to Rs 50,000.
The Cabinet noted that a large number of school teachers of the State have to wait for years after retirement to get pension. That is why a decision was taken today to expedite the process. The teachers now would have to submit relevant papers to the nearest field office of the Education Department six months prior to their retirement and the pension would be paid immediately after retirement. If any teacher does not get pension immediately, the field officer concerned will be held responsible.
The Cabinet also decided to expedite the process of rehabilitation of the people affected in the blasts on October 30, 2008 and to take steps to clear the backlog of promotion of SC and ST employees.
Though there were speculations that the Chief Minister might ask the Cabinet Ministers to step down to reshuffle the Ministry, Power and Education Minister Pradyut Bordoloi told The Assam Tribune that no such order was given. In fact, the issue of Ministry reshuffle was not discussed at the meeting, Bordoloi added.
