Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a plan to reward 1,000 educated farmers with Rs 1 lakh each. This Agriculture Excellence Award aims to draw youth into the sector. The state plans to recognize 10,000 farmers total over the next five years. Winners will gain access to specialized government farming schemes. The move seeks to boost productivity and research.
Sarma also announced a new Youth Welfare Department to start on September 17. It aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. This office will group the National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, and employment exchanges. It consolidates youth programs under one roof.
Sarma set a new policy for government workers who abandon their spouses. Officials who enter a second marriage without a legal divorce face a 20 percent salary deduction. Funds will go directly to the first wife’s bank account. He added that the state will initiate disciplinary action for polygamy. A similar policy currently diverts 10 percent of pay to support abandoned parents.
"We must also attract educated youth towards agriculture," Sarma stated. The state also faces a massive bureaucratic bottleneck. Project Sadbhavana 2 will clear pending government files. The effort runs from October 2 to January 31.
More than three lakh files currently sit stagnant in directorates and district offices. Citizens can report these cases via a new online portal. Officials moved from manual record-keeping to an e-file system to track progress more accurately. The government will evaluate the success of this cleanup once the window closes.
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