Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (May 29) chaired a weekly cabinet meeting in Guwahati where several key decisions were taken pertaining to SOP for Mission Amrit Sarovar, ex-gratia for Assam Agitation victims, PF dues for ATCL workers, fair compensation for acquisition of tea garden lands, extension of tax exemption on green tea leaves, etc.
The following decisions were taken in the meeting of the Assam Council of Ministers:
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1. Relief for Assam Agitation Victims:
• Ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to 288 seriously injured persons and 57 women victimised during Assam Agitation.
• Rs 6.9 crore to be distributed among those injured and victimised during 1979-85.
2. Compensation for Airport Land Acquisition:
• Payment of Rs 1 lakh as compensation to each of the 1,263 garden families of Doloo TE (a total of Rs 12.63 crore) as a goodwill gesture for their cooperation in the development work of Greenfield Airport at Silchar.
3. Relief for ATCL Workers:
• Rs 142.50 crore to be paid against outstanding Provident Fund dues of Assam Tea Corporation Ltd (ATCL) workers.
4. SOP for Mission Amrit Sarovar:
• SOP approved for implementation of Assam Model of Mission Amrit Sarovar which seeks to introduce a source of water for small and marginal farmers and income generating assets by integrating pisciculture and commercial plantations.
• 3,007 Amrit Sarovars to be constructed with cost of Rs 1,208 crore and to be completed in all respect by August 15, 2023.
– AREA: Minimum 75 Amrit Sarovars to be constructed in each district with minimum size of 1 hectare. In Kamrup Metro, South Salmara and Dima Hasao minimum size will be 1 acre.
– REVENUE SHARING: Amrit Sarovars to be maintained by Cluster Level Federation of Women SHGS and revenue earned to be shared with Panchayats or local bodies in Sixth Schedule areas in 75:25 proportion.
– COMMITTEES: State Level Committee, District Level Committee, Block Level Construction Committee and 2 dedicated Prabharis for each Amrit Sarovar to be positioned. Panchayat Pratinidhi and Panchayat Level Officer to be designated as per Mission guidelines.
– BANK ACCOUNT: Exclusive bank account to be opened which shall be operated by Commissioner, P&RD for the Mission. Bank account to be operated as SNA and it will serve as mother account for all districts.
5. In Interest of Tea Garden Workers:
Approval to rationalisation of Zonal valuation and fair compensation of acquisition of tea land.
Rationalisation of Zonal valuation involves:
• Determination of zonal value for tea land by averaging the sale price of tea land on the basis of registered sale deeds of preceding three years in the district.
– If registered sale deeds of preceding three years are not available, registered sale deeds executed for nearest available tea garden in other district may be taken into consideration.
• Determination of 10% of zonal value of nearest agricultural land as a ‘floor value’
Fair compensation for acquisition of tea land involves:
• Amendment of Assam Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2015.
– This will equate Tea Garden lands with lands located in urban areas for the purpose of determination of multiplication factor to calculate the compensation payable when tea lands are acquired for public purposes.
– Tea garden workers (both permanent and temporary) to be eligible for receiving 10% of the compensation amount payable to the tea garden towards acquisition cost of the land
6. Timely Payment of Honorarium:
• Exemption of procedure of Fixation of Ceiling (FOC) for payment of monthly honorarium of part-time ICT instructors working in Secondary Schools under Dr Banikanta Kakoty Computer Literacy Programme.
• It will ensure regular and timely release of monthly wage.
7. Extension of Tax Exemption:
• Issuance of Assam Taxation (On Specified Lands) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.
• This will enable the extension of tax exemption on green tea leaves for a further period of three years from 1st January 2022 under the Assam Taxation (On Specified Lands) Act.
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