Assam Overhauls Property Rules, Medical Quotas and Loan Policies

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a sweeping package of reforms following a July 25 Cabinet meeting. New mandates target property fraud and education access. The state will now require compulsory registration for a broad range of documents. These include agreements for sale, development agreements, powers of attorney, short-term leases, and equitable mortgages. Sale certificates, bank guarantees, and partnership arrangements involving immovable property also face the same requirement. The government expects these measures to increase transparency and protect financial institutions.

Education rules also shifted. The state cabinet increased MBBS seat reservations for five indigenous communities. The Tai Ahom and Chutia groups each received one extra seat, moving their totals to 11 and 10 respectively. The Koch-Rajbongshi, Moran, and Motok communities also gained one seat each. Moran and Motok now hold nine reserved seats each. The state introduced an experimental program for vulnerable students. "We are introducing, on an experimental basis, reservation of two seats for orphaned students who have lost both their parents," Sarma said.

Changes to eligibility criteria will help children of parents serving in the military or Central government. Students who completed schooling outside Assam can now enter the state quota. They must provide proof of a three-generation residency legacy in Assam. Meanwhile, the cabinet moved to support local entrepreneurs. It waived stamp duty on loans up to Rs 10 lakh for self-help group members. This applies to loans from commercial, rural, and cooperative banks.

Other administrative updates include the adoption of the Assam Ayurvedic Health Services Rules, 2026. "The service rules shall regulate the recruitment and the service conditions" of Medical Officers appointed to the department. Finally, officials named the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India as the procurement agency for sugar and masur dal. The agency will manage distribution through the Public Distribution System from October 2026 to March 2027.