Assam Cabinet: The Assam government announced on Wednesday that it will pay a monthly pension of 15,000 rupees to over 300 persons imprisoned during the Emergency period.
Addressing a press conference following a cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal said the state government regards the persons jailed during the Emergency as ‘Lok Tantra Senani’.
To recognize their contribution towards democracy, the Assam Cabinet today approved giving a monthly pension to 301 people. They will receive ₹ 15,000 per month. If the person is no more, his wife will get the amount, and if both of them have died, their unmarried daughter will get this sum,” he said.
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Mr Singhal claimed that numerous states in India provide pensions to persons imprisoned during the Emergency period, but Assam provides the “highest” sum.
The Emergency was declared by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi and lasted 21 months, from 1975 to 1977.
Concerning other cabinet decisions, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah stated that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will sign an agreement to end their long-standing border conflicts on Thursday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
We can never forget the dark days of Emergency. There was a systematic destruction of every institution and blatant misuse of agencies.
This decision of the Assam Cabinet is a mark of gratitude to the brave soilders of democracy who risked everything to uphold the Constitution. https://t.co/IY0zJEpn0H
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 20, 2023
Concerning other cabinet decisions, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah stated that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will sign an agreement to end their long-standing border conflicts on Thursday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “There were numerous joint regional committees that met for months to discuss border disputes.” They presented their ideas two days ago, and the Assam Cabinet approved them today,” he said.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-kilometer border in the districts of Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Charaideo. Along the interstate border, there are 1,200 places of contention. Baruah further stated that the cabinet accepted investment proposals for eight megaprojects totaling Rs 8,201.29 crore. “These projects will directly employ 6,100 youths, with an even higher number of indirect jobs,” he continued.
