Assam CM holds video conference with DCs, 'Eti Koli Duti Paat' to be launched on August 15

Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 29 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday held a video conference with all District Commissioners (DCs) at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati and discussed the key issues for the successful rollout of the socio-economic empowerment schemes.
Discussing with the DCs, the Chief Minister said that Orunodoi 2.0 is going to end on June 10 and for the seamless roll out of Orunodoi 3.0, the DCs will have to finish the digitization process at the earliest.
The Chief Minister asked them to complete the digitization by June 3. He made it clear that because of the non-availability of ration card if any person is deprived of the benefits of Orunodoi 3.0, DCs should include the names of such beneficiaries by convening a meeting of the district-level monitoring committee.
He also asked the DCs to prepare the data for Orunodoi 3.0 on the basis of the Legislative Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, during the video conference, Chief Minister Sarma also held a detailed discussion on 'Eti Koli, Duti Paat' scheme.
Synchronizing with the 200 year celebrations of Assam Tea industry, Sarma said that government will make a onetime payment of Rs. 5000 to each of the permanent and temporary Class III and IV workers of the tea gardens.
He, therefore, asked the DCs to compile data on permanent and temporary tea garden workers across districts. He also asked them for the formation of district-level implementation committees and include one social worker from tea garden areas in the committees.
The Chief Minister also asked the DCs to select the beneficiaries under the scheme and get them recommended by the implementation committee by August 10 of this year.
He also shared the government's desire to launch this scheme on August 15, 2025. For the successful implementation of the scheme, CM Sarma asked the DCs to designate one ADC-level nodal officer.
Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, MLA Biswajit Phukan, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister KK Dwivedi, Commissioner and Secretary to Finance Department Jayant Narlikar and other senior officers were present during the conference.
In a move to facilitate seamless process in admission of students in colleges, CM Sarma also held an interaction with the College Principals and District Commissioners (DCs) across the state through a video conference from his office at Lok Sewa Bhawan in the presence of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu.
During the conference, he discussed the undergraduate admission schedule for the year 2025-26.
He took stock of the number of applications received so far by the colleges, seamless execution of the free admission process, progress of Nijut Moina scheme and schedule for Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award under Pragyan Bharati Scheme.
In the conference, Chief Minister Sarma asked the Principals and DCs to ensure the timely and coordinated implementation of these student welfare schemes.
Chief Minister Sarma asked the Principals about the need to execute the free admission process through Samarth Portal, with ration card as the primary evidence for income. He said that if any particular student does not have ration card, only then he or she has to submit income certificate specifying the annual income below Rs. 4 lakh to avail the benefits of free admission.
The Chief Minister asked the Principals to extend all cooperation for the implementation of Nijut Moina scheme for the finacial year 2025-26. For Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award under Pragyan Bharati Scheme, he also took stock of the number of students who passed the higher secondary examination with 80 per cent or more marks.
He said that under the scheme, the government will start presenting the sooty to the students from October, 2025 onwards. He asked the Principals and DCs to work in synergy to prepare a list incorporating the names of all entitled students for the scheme.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. KK Dwivedi, Secretary, Higher Education Narayan Konwar, and other senior officers were present during the conference.