Guwahati, 23 June (HS): A meeting of the Assam Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday approved a series of policy reforms aimed at promoting industrial growth, easing investment procedures and strengthening the tourism sector in the state.

The Cabinet approved a new provision that will allow individuals to obtain automatic permissions through a dedicated portal for setting up small-scale industries on their own agricultural land. Similar online self-approval facilities will also be available for the installation of solar panels. The Cabinet has cleared the proposed legislation for introduction in the Assam Legislative Assembly.

In a major boost to higher education, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Assam Private Universities Act by reducing the minimum land requirement for establishing private universities. In rural areas, the requirement has been reduced from 60 bighas to 30 bighas, while in urban areas it has been lowered from 30 bighas to 21 bighas. The Assam Private Universities (Amendment) Bill will be tabled in the Assembly during the upcoming session.

The Cabinet also approved new rules for the registration of homestays across Assam. Under the new framework, homestay owners will be able to register themselves through a designated online portal and renew their registration every three years. The Cabinet further approved an increase in the maximum number of rooms permitted in a homestay from six to eight.

The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held on July 4, during which several more legislative proposals are expected to be discussed before being placed in the Assembly. Officials said further deliberations on additional reforms will continue in the upcoming Cabinet session.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash