Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam cabinet has approved a 12 per cent reservation for Agniveers in constable-level recruitment in several state government departments, besides introducing a Green Tax on the sale and transfer of certain older vehicles.
The Agniveer quota will cover recruitment to Assam Police AB (Armed Branch) and UB (Unarmed Branch) constable posts, commando personnel, jail warders, firemen, SDRF constables, forest guards and excise constables.
The government is also considering a regular donation arrangement for Madhupur Satra similar to the system followed for Bordowa Satra. The conversion will enable residents to obtain land-related documents and access government schemes and other facilities. Sarma also congratulated BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary as the Bodoland Territorial Council government completed one year in office.
Because of his election-related engagements, he said he could not attend the programme. The cabinet also approved the introduction of a Green Tax of Rs 3,000 on the sale or transfer of eligible vehicles that are more than three years old. The government has also sanctioned a one-time Rs 10-crore grant for infrastructure development of the Assam Regiment. For Madhupur Satra, the cabinet approved a monthly grant of Rs 1 lakh to meet its regular expenses.
Sarma said the move was intended to make use of the training and experience gained by Agniveers during their four-year service and bring them into the state’s uniformed services. Sarma said the money collected through the tax would be used for environmental measures, including afforestation and efforts to check soil erosion. Sarma said the regiment has a close association with Assam and that around half of its personnel are Assamese. Sarma said the decision followed a request from the Satra authorities, who had cited fluctuations in donations as a reason for financial difficulties. Sarma said the forest cover that existed when the area was declared a proposed reserve forest is no longer present and that people from different communities are now living there.
