Guwahati, Jun 28:The Assam government will create 35,000 new jobs with a view to regularising 35,000 contractual teachers serving in various elementary schools through a special recruitment drive. This was decided at a State Cabinet meeting held in Nalbari on Thursday.
These school teachers, now working under the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) contract, will have to apply for their fresh appointments in this new drive as the government cannot regularise their posts in the same positions, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while briefing the media about Cabinet decisions.
Sarma said the state government will create 35,000 new jobs for those serving as SSA teachers. "The Assam government is unable to regularise the posts of 35,000 SSA teachers due to the Supreme Court's directives in the Uma Devi case. The power of the State Cabinet to regularise these posts has been curtailed by the Supreme Court,” he said.
Following the completion of the new recruitment drive for these 35,000 contractual teachers, the SSA will cease to exist, the Chief Minister said, adding that the newly appointed teachers will get all the benefits of being state government employees.
The Cabinet also decided to withdraw the tax-paying system in the weekly and biweekly markets of rural areas in the state. The Chief Minister said the system has been harassing small farmers and poor people in rural areas.
The State Cabinet also decided on the issuance of a new SOP (standard operating procedure) by the transport department, relieving all fines for motorbike riders except for the non-wearing of helmets. Under the new SOP, no fine will be imposed on three-wheelers till the fourth violation. "Such penalties are disgusting to small earners like auto drivers and motorcycle riders," Sarma said.
The State Cabinet also decided to release Rs 81 crore for the Karimganj water supply plant and Rs 72 crore for the Hailakandi water plant.
The Cabinet meeting held at the Nalbari district commissioner office's conference hall for the first time also adopted a good number of decisions for the development of the district.
The Cabinet approved Rs 3 crore each for four religious sites in the district: Nalbari Hari Mandir, Billeswar Devalaya, Bagheswari Devalaya and Balilecha Kali Mandir.
The Cabinet also decided to construct a modern stadium at Nalbari, merging Gurdon Field and North Kamrup Stadium. The Cabinet further decided to introduce a science stream at MNC Balika Mahavidyalaya here.
As the district is flood-prone, the State Cabinet decided to construct 19 km of embankments along the Mara Pagladia and Burhadia rivers.
Referring to the issue of 'Operation Blackboard' teachers in Nalbari district, Sarma said that the Cabinet has decided to offer them Rs 2 lakh each under the Chief Minister's Special Scheme instead of regularising their jobs, which are nonexistent.
The ministers of the State Cabinet were in attendance at the meeting. Earlier, district commissioner Varnali Deka felicitated the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues with replicas of Hari Mandir and bell metal ban kahis, among others.
