Assam Cabinet Clears 7 Bills, Including MSME Facilitation and Ease of Doing Business Reforms

Dispur, Jul 6 (KNN) The Assam Cabinet has approved seven bills, including those dealing with ease of doing business and facilitation for setting up MSME units, to be introduced during the budget session of the assembly beginning Monday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday.

The Cabinet also approved an integrated emergency response system to be operated by the police, and a new dairy infrastructure project by AMUL, Sarma said, addressing a press conference after chairing the Cabinet meeting, PTI reported.

Key Bills Approved

Among the seven bills is the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which allows the sale of land near religious places and iconic structures in Barpeta, Batadrava and Majuli only to those who have lived in these areas for the last three generations. 

Sarma noted, “This Bill was approved by the assembly earlier, but when it was sent for Presidential assent, the Centre made a few suggestions to make it stronger. These have been added, and the new amendment Bill will be brought.”

The Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will facilitate single-window clearance for establishing ventures, was also cleared, along with the Assam Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Facilitation of Establishment and Operation) Bill, 2026. 

The latter will allow MSME units in non-polluting sectors to be set up without prior government approval for the first three years, the Assam CM emphasised.

The Cabinet also approved the Assam Tourism (Development and Registration) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, dealing with the registration of homestays and hotels, under which the colonial-era Sarais Act will be repealed as its provisions have been incorporated into the new bill. 

The Assam Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026, which relaxes certain provisions of town and country planning rules and land reclassification rules, was also approved, as was the Assam Shops and Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to align state provisions with the central act.

The Guwahati Satellite City Development Authority Bill, 2026, was also cleared, with Sarma dismissing speculation that private investors were being handed the project.

“Many people were saying that we were planning to give land to Adani and Ambani in the name of developing the satellite city. Now, everyone will understand that it is the government that will develop it,” he said, adding that major investments by corporate groups in the state would still lead to an economic boom, as quoted by PTI.

Emergency Response System

The council of ministers cleared a proposal for an emergency response system accessible by dialling 112, integrating police, fire, health and disaster response services into a unified, 24x7, technology-driven platform. 

Sarma said a new emergency response centre would be established at the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy in Dergaon, with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing onboarded to implement the Assam Police Emergency Management System Project. 

He noted that states including Uttar Pradesh and Telangana had implemented similar integrated helpline services.

Other Decisions

The Cabinet partially relaxed earlier austerity measures, lifting restrictions on foreign travel by ministers and government employees. Employees can now undertake personal foreign travel with prior government approval, and official visits for training and other purposes will also be allowed, the Assam CM said. 

The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2013, to address operational gaps, seasonal supply disruptions and enforcement issues, under which inbound vehicles carrying sand and stone from neighbouring states will pay a charge of Rs 150 per cubic metre, along with a transit fee of Rs 200 per vehicle.

Separately, the Cabinet approved leasing 33 bighas of land to the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd (AMUL) for setting up a bulk milk cooler or chilling centre for milk procurement in Biswanath. 

Sarma highlighted that a three-member ministerial group had been formed to streamline the agar business and ensure benefits for those involved in it.

(KNN Bureau)