New Assam cabinet reviews COVID situation at its maiden meeting

The new Assam government headed by Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday get down to business holding its maiden cabinet meeting on the prevailing COVID situation where the 13-member council of ministers discussed in detail ways and means to rein in coronavirus surge.

The meeting felt the need to impose certain restrictions which will be announced by the state Chief Secretary on Wednesday, spokespersons Keshab Mahanta and Pijush Hazarika said.

After being sworn-in as the chief minister the previous day, Sarma had said controlling the ''alarming'' COVID-19 situation in the state is his first priority.

The first cabinet meeting he chaired Tuesda focused on the burning issue of coronavirus rage.

The chief minister will also depute the ministers to two districts or more to review the COVID situation in the districts and submit a report within three days, based on which a decision on an economic package will be taken in the next cabinet meeting.

''The ministers will undertake visits to their respective districts and hold meetings with the Deputy Commissioners, Joint Directors of Health and other senior officers to submit the report to the Chief Minister and Health Minister within three days of their visit'', they said.

Like other parts of the country, Assam is also witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases.

According to the latest health department bulletin, the state has a total of 2,98,171 COVID cases. There are 37,500 active caseload in the state at present.

The Assam government has increased its stake in the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) from the existing 12.35 per cent to 26 per cent with the total financial involvement of the increase being Rs. 2187 crore.

The cabinet directed the finance department to release Rs 1687 crore financial involvement, arising from this enhancement with the government having already paid Rs 500 crore for enhancing its stake.

It was also decided that for the first time in the state, the cabinet will meet on every Wednesday from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.

If on any Wednesday, the chief minister is out of station, the cabinet will meet on the same day at the same time next week.

The cabinet also decided to constitute two committees to prepare reports on providing employment opportunities to one lakh youths and to waive off the micro finance loans taken by women, A committee has been constituted to prepare a roadmap for appointing one lakh youths to government jobs headed by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog while the other members will be the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Principal Secretary Health, Education and Home and they will submit their report within a month..

Another committee has been constituted to assess the financial involvement arising out of waiver of loans given by micro-finance institutions and will be headed Minister Ashok Singhal with Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary of Finance and Panchayat and Rural Development as members.

Mahanta and Hazarika, both ministers, along with the newly appointed Political Secretary Jayanta Malla Baruah, have been appointed as the government spokespersons who will brief the media after every cabinet meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)