Assam cabinet approves introduction of Unified Pension Scheme

Guwahati, Oct 6 (PTI) The Assam cabinet on Monday approved the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) as an option under the National Pension System for the employees of the state government.

This scheme will benefit employees in terms of old age security and will not be dependent on market returns, the chief minister said at a media briefing after the cabinet meeting.

The cabinet also decided to pay Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the nine persons who died in a building collapse at a power plant in Tamil Nadu as financial support from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, in addition to the compensation which the families will receive from the company where they worked, Sarma said.

The council of ministers also accorded the administrative approval for the construction of an elevated corridor on NH-306 from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point in Silchar for Rs 564.50 crore to reduce traffic congestion.

The total length of the flyover shall be 3.5 km and the project will provide uninterrupted, safe, and efficient movement through the heart of Silchar town, reduce travel time for commuters, and contribute significantly to the reduction of vehicular emissions, thereby supporting cleaner and greener urban mobility, Sarma said.

The cabinet approved the revised administrative approval cost of Rs 4,816.31 crore for the Assam Resilient Rural Bridges Programme (ARRBP) for the construction of climate-resilient rural bridges, he said.

Under this project, 350 new bridges will be constructed, 103 narrow bridges will be widened, 694 temporary, collapsed or washed out and distressed bridges will be replaced with new bridges and 37 existing bridges will be maintained, Sarma added.

The cabinet also approved the Assam State Tertiary Healthcare Augmentation (ASTHA) project worth Rs 4,287 crore, he said.

The project will enhance access to and quality of tertiary care treatment by improving physical infrastructure and systems, including the construction of the new campus of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital in place of the existing campus, he said.

The state cabinet approved the amendments to the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st year MBBS/BDS Courses) Rules, 2017.

The amendment inserts a new provision allowing candidates who are permanent residents of Assam but studied outside the state to be eligible for admission under the state quota, provided their last three generations are permanent residents of Assam which must be certified by the district commissioner concerned.

The Moran community of Arunachal Pradesh will be eligible for MBBS and BDS admission in Assam under the state quota.

The Moran community living in Arunachal Pradesh will be treated at par with the Moran community living in Assam from the session 2026 for admission into MBBS/BDS courses in Assam, he said.

The state cabinet approved the inclusion of 10,186 community cadres of Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM), including in districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), of Panchayat and Rural Development Department as beneficiaries under the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme to be disbursed from October 7.

The inclusion of 10,186 additional beneficiaries will entail an additional expenditure of approximately Rs 1.27 crore per month under the Orunodoi scheme, Sarma said.

The state cabinet accorded approval to the financial sanction proposal of Rs 130 crore for the procurement of bicycles to be distributed among 3,11,614 students studying in Class 9 of the schools under the state government.

The cabinet also approved granting the minimum pay scale to 1,231 muster roll, casual and fixed pay workers. PTI DG DG ACD