AT Photo: Ranoj Pegu addressing press after weekly cabinet meeting
Guwahati, Nov 26: The Assam Cabinet made several key announcements on Tuesday, including a revised holiday list for government employees, the approval of a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for employees of the Agriculture Marketing Board, and the clearing of outstanding dues for 108 services, among others.
The most notable decision was the expansion of the state government’s holiday list to 36 days. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced that the government has approved 36 holidays for state government employees in 2025, along with seven additional restricted holidays, following the weekly cabinet meeting.
Among the approved holidays are several cultural and regional festivals, including the Nuakhai festival, Bir Raghab Moran Divas, Wangala Festival, Matak Raja Swargadeo Sarbananda Singha Divas, Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma birth anniversary, Sati Radhika Utsav, and Rongker Puja.
Pegu also revealed that the restricted holiday for the Ali-Aye-Ligang festival will now be observed as a public holiday in 11 districts across the state.
In another significant development, the Cabinet decided to rename the district headquarters of Hojai from "Shankardeva Nagar" to "Srimanta Shankardeva Nagar," in honour of the great 15th century polymath Srimanta Sankardeva.
The Cabinet also approved a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for employees of the Agriculture Marketing Board, with a proposed expenditure of Rs. 110 crores. This scheme will include the arrear salaries of the employees as part of the VRS package.
Minister Pegu further informed that the 108 Ambulance services, which have reportedly saved the lives of around 2 lakh people, will receive Rs. 115 lakhs for their outstanding dues.
On the Mission Basundhara scheme, the state cabinet has approved a conditional settlement for beneficiaries with 10% premiums. Pegu explained that if beneficiaries fail to pay the mortgage and the land is sold or auctioned, they will be required to pay 90% of the premiums.
Additionally, the cabinet approved Rs. 223.26 crores for the third phase of the Assam Microfinance Incentive and Relief Scheme, aimed at benefiting beneficiaries with an outstanding principal amount between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000. A total of 78,046 people will avail of this benefit.
