Cabinet clears Assam, Tripura development packages, Rs 4,200 cr MERITE scheme & LPG relief
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who explained the decisions, said that measures will improve the quality of education, ensure energy consensus and maintain the financial stability of critical state enterprises.
Special development packages for Assam and Tripura
The cabinet also approved four new components from the Assam and Tripura under the current center sector special development packages (SDP) scheme, as well as RS 3,000 CRORE from the Assem government, as well as a total of 4,250 Crore expenditure.
Approved components:
- RS 500 Crore for the development of infrastructure in regions exposed by ASSAM within the scope of 2022 MOS signed with Adivasi groups.
- According to 2023 MOS, the North Cacher Hills Autonomic Army (DNLA) and the High Council of the people lived in the North Cacher Hills autonomous council areas for the development of infrastructure for the development of infrastructure areas.
- Within the scope of ULFA groups with 2023 MOS, 3,000 RS for infrastructure in Assam.
- NLFT and all Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and 250 RS for the development of tribes in Tripura under 2024 MOS.
Assem components will receive 4,000 RS from the center for five years (2025-26 to 2029-30), while the Tripura component will receive 250 RS for four years (2025-26 to 2028-29).
According to the government, these projects will create employment through skill development and entrepreneurship, benefit young people and women and help the mainstream affected communities. Packages aim to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginal groups, to increase educational and health services and to promote tourism in the North East region.
The people in the Adivasi and Dimsasa communities in Assam, residents in other parts of Assem, and tribal communities in Tripura are expected to benefit. The movement follows the previous MOS -based packages for Bodo and Karbi groups, which the authorities say that they give positive results in creating and development.
Read also: The cabinet confirms the support of 30.000 RS for affordable LPG in households.
Merite scheme approved by the cabinet
Cabinet, 275 Technical Institutions – 175 Engineering College and 100 Polytechnic – Multidisciplinary Education and Research Development (MERITE) to improve quality, equality and management in all states and union regions.
The initiative compatible with the 2020 National Education Policy will work with a total of 4,200 RS from 2025-26 to 2029-30, including 2,100 Crore credit from the World Bank. It is a central sector scheme that will be applied through a central Nodal Agency, as well as elite institutions such as ITs and IIMs, as well as regulatory organs such as AICTE and NBA play a key role.
In addition to state and UT Technical Training Departments, Estimated 7.5 Lakh student is expected to benefit. The program will finance digitalization strategies, develop directives for multi -disciplined programs, strengthen research and innovation, increase employability through curriculum in accordance with the labor market and increase accreditation and quality assurance mechanisms.
Employment -oriented interventions include internship, sector curriculum updates, faculty development programs, research centers, innovation centers, skill laboratories and language workshops. “The aim is to provide higher placement rates for graduates and to reduce unemployment among engineering students,” the government said.
Compensation for PSU OMCs for LPG losses
In order to balance the heavy losses from the sale of domestic LPG with regulated prices, the cabinet approved 30,000 RS as compensation for oil marketing companies operated by the state-Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (Bharat Petrotleum Corporation LTD (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPC).
The amount will be distributed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in twelve tranches. Authorities, high in 2024-25 years, high international LPG prices were not transferred to consumers and caused significant inadequate tasks for companies, he said.
Compensation will enable OMCs to cover basic costs such as raw and LPG supply, debt service and capital investments and thus provide uninterrupted materials throughout the country. The government emphasized that this measure underlined the undertaking of insulating consumers from global price volatility by maintaining the financial health of PSU oil companies and providing widespread existence of clean cooking fuel.
