Assam govt to give free scooters, bicycles to students

Guwahati: Assam government has announced its decision to provide bicycles to 3.78 lakh students studying in Class 9 in government and provincialized schools across the state.

This decision was taken in the cabinet meeting of the state government held in Guwahati.

State Tourism Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said, “The state cabinet in a meeting on Wednesday evening approved spending Rs 167 crore to provide bicycles”.

It was also decided to provide scooters for girls who scored 60 per cent or higher in their class 12 exams and for boys who scored 75 per cent or higher, according to Mallabaruah.

The cut-off marks for availing scooters for both girls and boys will be set to 75 per cent next year.

The cabinet also decided to request the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for giving the state a chance to host the national games either in 2025 or 2027, the minister added.

Meanwhile, the council of ministers also approved the draft of the modified Assam Food Security Rules 2022, in accordance with the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013.

To increase the number of eligible households who can apply for new ration cards under the NFSA, the proposed amendment calls for raising the income threshold from the current Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 4 lakhs.

The Assam Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Facilitation of Establishment and Operation Rules, 2023, received approval from the cabinet and will exempt MSMEs for three years from certain approvals and inspections needed for establishment and operation in the state.

By submitting the declaration of intent, an MSME in the state may now begin operations after receiving an acknowledgement certificate from the state nodal agency, the Minister said.

The cabinet also decided to expand the 'Orunodoi' scheme to include seven lakh more beneficiaries, by providing Rs 1,250 per month from September onwards.

The Minister further said that a proposal to increase the percentage of seats reserved for OBCs and MOBCs in professional programmes offered by the Assam Agricultural University from 15 per cent to 27 per cent received approval from the council of ministers.

Additionally, it was decided to reserve seats in training programmes at 24 government General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) institutes, 18 Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) schools, and three B.Sc. nursing schools for the Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch Rajbongshi, and Tea tribes, who make up 27 per cent of the OBC/MOBC reservation.

With inputs from IANS