Dispur (Assam) [India], December 5 (HBTV): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state cabinet will be expanded on December 7, with four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) being inducted into the cabinet. The oath of office will be administered at noon on the same day.

The new cabinet members are Prasanta Phookan (Dibrugarh), Kaushik Rai (Lakhipur), Krishnendu Paul (Patharkandi), and Rupesh Goala (Doomdooma).

In addition to the cabinet expansion, the Assam Cabinet has approved several key decisions aimed at enhancing infrastructure and education in the state. Notably, the state government has decided to ban the serving and consumption of beef in restaurants, hotels, and public places, citing the success of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021 in curbing cattle slaughter.

The Cabinet also approved the conversion of the four-lane stretch of road leading to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport into a six-lane road, allocating an additional INR 116 crore for the project. The total estimated cost of the project stands at INR 474 crore.

Further, the Cabinet decided to institute a literary award in the name of noted litterateur Dr. Homen Borgohain for government pensioners, with a one-time assistance of INR 50,000 to be provided to existing pensioners. Additionally, monthly literary pensions will be granted to individuals, excluding government employees.

The Cabinet also moved to transfer Sanskrit and Pali Tols to the Directorate of Secondary Education from the Directorate of Higher Education.

CM Sarma also outlined the state's future development, revealing that projects worth INR 1 lakh crore are expected to be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Advantage Assam Summit in February next year. These include the expansion of the Bongaigaon Refinery, the Namrup Fertilizer Plant, a new Expressway, and a railway project connecting Guwahati to Gelephu in Bhutan.

The expansion of the Assam cabinet is set to take place on December 7, marking another step in the state's ongoing development.   

(ANI)