Assam cabinet decides to promulgate wood-based industries

To provide fillip to Wood Based Industries, Assam cabinet has decided to promulgate of Assam Wood Based Industries (Promotion and Development) Rules, 2022 whereby wood Based Industries (WBIs) to be categorised as Primary, Secondary and Composite.
The cabinet meeting on Saturday decided Primary and Composite WBIs require licences and have to be inside Industrial Estates. Secondary WBls require registration and need not be inside Industrial Estates. Agar oil extraction units delivered and brought under the regime of registration at Circle level. Concept of raising captive plantation by WBls to achieve twin objectives of assured supply of raw materials as well as augmenting assured income for the farmer besides provisions for transfer of licence/Registration on sale succession etc. to also be introduced.

The cabinet decided on amending Land Policy to boost Mission Basundhara Amendment to Land Policy, 2019 for insertion of definitions of indigenous persons, generation, hereditary land, provisions for settlement of hereditary land of tribal communities, settlement of VGR and PGR land to eligible occupiers as a one-time measure under Mission Basundhara 2.0 with effect till December 31, 2023 and restructuring Sub Divisional Land Advisory Committee.

Approximately R328.19 crore approved for implementation of Mission. The 10 services of the first phase of Mission Basundhara will be continued via Assam Right to Public Services portal. Launch of Mission Basundhara 2.0 with the following land-related services which were non-digitised earlier Settlement of Annual Patta (AP) lands that have already been transferred from the original AP Holder to eligible occupant by granting Periodic Patta (PP) as per the Land Policy, 2019 with a view to confer permanent, heritable and transferable rights to the PP Holder

Settlement of Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) land upto 1 Bigha of homestead land to selected categories of eligible occupants as PP land (after de- reservation of VGR/PGR and reservation of equivalent quantum of land as VGR/PGR).

The cabinet decided rollout of e - Khazana for online payment of land revenue, local tax, other fees and rollout of Auto mutation throughout Assam for Composite Land Transfer.