The Assam government on Friday approved a two-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for state government employees, raising it from 58% to 60% of basic salary, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The decision was taken at the first cabinet meeting after its expansion with 12 new ministers, 11 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one from the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), earlier in the day.
“Today we have decided to increase the DA of government employees by two percentage points. Until now, they were getting 58% DA, and after the increase it will reach 60%,” Sarma said after the meeting.
The Cabinet also approved a total area of 20 sq km for the second capital complex, which is being planned in Dibrugarh, about 440 km east of Guwahati, he added.
“The complex will be within Dibrugarh district. The local MLA of Dibrugarh will be the Chairman of the Dibrugarh II Metropolitan Complex Development Authority and will be given a ministerial rank,” Sarma said, adding that a budget of Rs. $Rs 500 crore will be spent over five years to develop the complex.
The Prime Minister said that the Cabinet agreed to increase the MLA District Development Fund from the existing fund $1 Crore Annually for $1.5 lakh crore for the current financial year $2 crores from next year.
“There has been no increase in the fund since 2016. The MLA can use 10% of this amount to disburse immediate needs of students like providing ventilators in schools, laptops to deserving students or purchasing an ambulance etc,” Sarma said.
He stated that the next session of the Assembly, which is the budget session, will begin on July 6.
Sarma said that the distribution of ministerial portfolios to the new ministers who were sworn in on Friday will take place within a week.
