In a Friday cabinet session in Guwahati, Assam’s leaders gave a green light to several new initiatives that aim to boost the state’s welfare and infrastructure. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma chaired the meeting and outlined plans that cover pensions, student transport, traffic, education, pay, and rural development.
### Unified Pension Scheme now a choice for state staff
The Assam cabinet approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), offering it as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) for government employees. UPS is designed to provide old‑age security and does not depend on market returns, the CM said. This step is intended to give state workers a reliable retirement plan.
### Millions of bicycles for class‑IX students
The state has earmarked ₹130 crore to buy bicycles for 311,614 class‑IX students across government schools. Providing a bike to every student will make school travel easier, cut dropout rates, and help more kids move from secondary to senior secondary education. The CM highlighted the project as a key move to improve student retention.
### Silchar elevated corridor to ease traffic
To tackle congestion in Silchar, the cabinet approved a ₹564.50‑crore project for an elevated road on NH‑306, from the Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point. Phase‑I covers a 3.5‑km crossing, with ₹100 crore set aside for land acquisition. The new flyover will give a smooth, safer ride through the town’s center, cut travel time, and reduce vehicle emissions, supporting greener urban mobility for the 2025‑26 year.
### Changes to medical‑college admission rules
The legislature has updated the 2017 Rules for admission into 1st‑year MBBS and BDS courses. Rule 3(1) now allows permanent Assam residents who were studying outside the state to qualify for the state quota, provided they belong to a permanent‑resident line for the last three generations, verified by a district commissioner. The requirement that students must have studied in Assam from classes VII‑XII is being removed. Consequently, the Moran community of Arunachal Pradesh can now join Assam’s medical and dental colleges under the state quota from the 2026 intake.
### Salary upgrades for government workers
The cabinet approved the minimum pay scale for 1,231 muster‑roll, casual and fixed‑pay workers. It also raised the fixed‑pay allowance for 99 Grade‑IV employees in the General Administration Department to ₹16,400, effective immediately. This move should improve the earnings of many long‑time public servants.
### Expanding the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme
Under the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM) and the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, 10,186 new community cadres—including those from BTR districts—will join the Orunodoi 3.0 programme starting 7 October 2025. The expansion will add about ₹1.27 crore to the monthly outlay, providing more support for rural livelihoods.
### Relief for families of Assam workers killed in Tamil Nadu
The Chief Minister announced that the government will award ₹5 lakh each to the next of kin of nine Assam workers who died in a Tamil Nadu incident. This is part of the Chief Minister Relief Fund, separate from compensation the families receive from the employers.
These decisions reflect the Assam cabinet’s focus on social welfare, education, infrastructure, and public sector pay. The policies aim to improve the lives of workers, students, and rural communities while advancing the state’s development goals.
Source: aninews
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