Assam Cabinet nod for floriculture mission

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his cabinet has approved a state floriculture mission with an initial investment of Rs 150 crore, covering 20,000 farmers.

Several other important decisions, including setting up of an additional CM secretariat at Dibrugarh, a new Raj Bhavan at Tezpur and converting employment exchanges into youth welfare offices, were taken at the cabinet meeting held on Monday, he said.

A cabinet committee was also formed to prepare for an event on April 14, marking the Assamese new year, when an attempt will be made to enter record books with the assembly of 10,000 'Bihu' dancers, Sarma said.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the CM said in view of the huge demand for flowers in Assam, which is currently met with supply from West Bengal's capital Kolkata and even Thailand, a State Floriculture Mission has been approved.

Under it, the area of flower cultivation will be expanded from 2,200 hectares to 3,288 hectares within three years.

"After paddy and fishery, we are now focusing on achieving self-sufficiency in floriculture," the chief minister said.

He also announced a slew of projects and schemes worth around Rs 1,500-2,000 crore for Dibrugarh district.

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