Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday marked the completion of 100 days of his government by handing over appointment letters to the kin of six policemen killed in firing on the State’s boundary with Mizoram on July 26.
Dr Sarma’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government had taken charge on May 10.
The job letters were given to the wives of slain sub-inspector Swapan Kumar Roy, constables Mazrul Haque Barbhuiya, Nazmul Hussain and Samsuz Zaman Barbhuiya, the sister of constable Liton Suklabaidya and the son of havildar Shyam Sundar Dusad.
“The government jobs given to the next of kin of the deceased police personnel is under an exceptional circumstance, not to be cited as an example,” the Chief Minister told journalists.
The families of the six police “martyrs” had been given ₹50 lakh each soon after the incident. They were also awarded the Chief Minister’s Special Service Medal in a crisis situation on August 15.
The State government had also provided an ex-gratia amount of ₹1 lakh to each of more than 40 policemen who were injured in the border attack.
Dr Sarma said his government was committed to securing the State’s land. “We have taken positive steps to protect our land in discussions with Meghalaya and Nagaland governments,” he said.
COVID-19 relief
Listing the government’s achievements during the 100 days, the Chief Minister announced a one-time COVID-19 relief of ₹15,000 each for the heads of religious institutions and ₹10,000 each for bus drivers, conductors and handymen in the State.
He also said the Cabinet on Friday approved to increase the monthly allowance given to more than 2.2 million women as part of the government’s Orunodoi scheme from the existing ₹830 to ₹1,000 with immediate effect.
The Orunodoi scheme was one of the factors behind the electoral victory of the BJP and its allies in March-April 2021. One-time relief to artists, film, television and theatre technicians as well as grants to religious institutions had also helped the BJP return to power.
“Some 60,000 people associated with the buses have been affected due to the ban on inter-district movement of public transport for three months due to COVID-19 restrictions. Closure of religious places since May has also affected all religious places,” Dr Sarma said, hoping the one-time grant would help ease their worries to a certain extent.
The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of Indian and Assam history and geography as compulsory subjects in the syllabus of classes 9 and 10 in all government schools in the State. Other decisions taken by the Cabinet included converting all State-owned buses to electric and compressed natural gas vehicles within the next 12 months.