Cabinet approves Rs 5/litre dairy subsidy, Rs 150 Cr for new milk processing units
The Assam Cabinet also declared oil palm a cash crop, and addressed mining tragedies and worker wage hikes.
Dairy products
Guwahati, Jan 11: The State Cabinet today approved a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre to dairy farmers who sell their milk to cooperatives. This will be in addition to the incentives given to the farmers by the cooperatives.
The Cabinet also decided to set up two milk processing units at Jorhat and Dibrugarh, and approved Rs 150 crore for that purpose. Each of the units will have capacity to process 1 lakh litres of milk.
Two similar units will also be set up at Dhemaji and Cachar. The Cabinet also decided to stop collection of tax from vegetable and betel nut/ leaf vendors by mahaldars.
Further, the government decided to declare oil palm as a cash crop so that farmers become eligible for different incentives. A policy was also approved to facilitate the setting up of furniture industries by tea gardens using felled shade trees in their land.
The Cabinet also formed a committee to examine the demand for hike in wages of Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and mid-day meal workers. Another committee was formed to examine the issue of non-provincialization of certain eligible educational institutions set up before 2006.
The Cabinet also approved a 10 bigha plot for Cachar Cancer Hospital and setting up of tourism centres at two tea gardens in Sonitpur.
The Cabinet also decided to withdraw the proposal to declare Deosali in Dibrugarh as reserve forest to enable settlers there to get land pattas.
Mining tragedy: Informing that eight people were still missing in the coal mine at Umrangso, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said a special dewatering machine has been brought from Nagpur for the rescue operations.
"There are four wells which are interconnected. If the new machine works, we will be able to dewater the wells by tomorrow evening, or else it will take another 48 hours," he said.
The CM insisted that the mine was abandoned by Assam Mineral Development Corporation 12 years ago.
"The missing labourers had entered the mine for the first time that day to extract coal. No mining was done in the last 12 years before that day," he said, adding that a case has been registered and the operator has been arrested.
By Staff Reporter