Portfolio Distribution Among New Ministers In Assam Today

(MENAFN- IANS) Guwahati, Dec 9 (IANS) Four newly-inducted ministers in the Cabinet led by Himanta Biswa Sarma will be given portfolios on Monday.

There will be a major overhaul in the departments held by the ministers, sources said.

According to a senior leader, a number of ministers has been handling multiple departments in the last three years and some of the departments will be taken from them and given to the newly-inducted ministers in the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, a new department - Barak Valley Development Department ­- was also created and one of the ministers from this region will head it.

The state Cabinet in its last meeting gave its nod in creation of the Barak Valley Development Department dedicated to open new avenues for the progress of southern Assam region.

According to an official statement,“To bring administration to the doorstep of the citizens and strive for equitable development of Barak Valley, Cabinet has approved creation of Barak Valley Development Department. This will benefit the people of Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi through rapid development and create job opportunities for support staff.”

The Cabinet accorded approval to Production Linked Incentive of Rs. 2/litre of ethanol for a period of three years to three grain-based ethanol manufacturing units also approved to boost farmers' income and move to cleaner fuel alternatives.

The Cabinet also approved the Policy of Compensation to the legal heirs or to the Next of Kin (NOK) of prisoners in cases of unnatural death.

Prasanta Phookan, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul and Rupesh Goala took oath as ministers a couple of days ago.

This was the first expansion of the Cabinet since Himanta Biswa Sarma took the Chief Minister's post in the state three years ago.

In the Cabinet, there were four vacant berths-three existed since the beginning of Sarma taking the post of Chief Minister, one position got vacant after former minister Parimal Suklabaidya won this year's Lok Sabha polls in the state.

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