Assam Logistic Policy 2022 approved by state cabinet

DISPUR, Assam: In a recent meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led cabinet approved the Assam Logistic Policy 2022, and also the amendment to expand the scope of master plan aimed at the development of urban areas in the state.

The policy involves proposal and incentives disbursement with the help of the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Portal. Under this policy, the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Assam, will give priority to the conversion of land, if required, to set up a logistic facility. For the industrial parks developed by the Assam Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (AIIDC), it will set aside 15 per cent of their land for the development of logistic infrastructure under the policy. The envisaged logistic infrastructure will include logistic parks, cold storage, warehouses, primary processing centres and truck terminal to facilitate transport.

During the meeting, the state cabinet approved an amendment to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Act, 1985, for the expansion and implementation of the Guwahati Master Plan. The amendment will pave way for the development of Guwahati Metropolitan Area, transit-oriented development and will introduce new land use zones to meet the reform agenda. Apart from that, the development of local area plans and town planning schemes are the other component that the amendment deals with.

Approval was also granted for the amendment of the Assam Town and Country Planning Act 1959. The amendment will entail the development of town planning scheme, the declaration of the planning area under the Master Plan and the local area plan while simultaneously strengthening its implementation.

Amendment to the Assam (Services) Pension Rules, 1969, has also received approval, which will ease the hardships faced by the unmarried dependent daughter of a pensioner to avail the family pension and ensure the apportionment by her to all other eligible beneficiaries. Apart from that, the state government has added a new provision to the act stating that if the unmarried daughter is not apportioning the pension among the beneficiaries, then the state government can apportion it equally among all the eligible beneficiaries.

Additionally, approval was also given to Standard Operation Procedure for the disposal of e-files in the office of the Chief Minister in a move to shift towards paperless governance. The move is aimed at the simplification of Group Insurance Scheme (GIS) payment, for which a new clause has been added to the GIS.

The state government also decided to set up the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), as a statutory body to frame a comprehensive mobility plan for the city and organise investments in urban transport infrastructure. This will make the state government eligible to get central assistance for the development of mass transport projects such as the Bus Rapid Transport System. To fill the existing vacancies, the cabinet has cleared a one-time relaxation of the qualifying service period for the promotion of block development officers from the feeder cadre. Amendment to the Assam Motor Vehicle Rules 2003, was also approved in the meeting that aims to allow the designated officers to sell detained, impounded and seized vehicles through auctions.  The state government has also granted a three per cent additional increment to the ‘Mandal’ and ‘Amin’ cadres, in a bid to ensure parity with Patowari who was earlier granted a similar increment.