The Assam Cabinet has approved several major projects covering renewable energy, industrial development, healthcare, connectivity and the circular economy.

Key Cabinet Decisions

• The Cabinet approved 500 bighas of land in Rakhyasini Jungle Block, Goalpara, for an integrated 30 megawatt solar power project and 25 megawatt/100 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System.
• A Battery Energy Storage System stores electricity generated at one time and supplies it later. It is particularly useful for managing the intermittency of renewable energy such as solar power.
• Around 1,174 bighas of land in Kamrup Metropolitan and Nagaon have been allotted for developing industrial estates and land banks.
• ₹300 crore Fermbox Bio project at Tezpur: The facility will manufacture specialised enzymes for producing ethanol from bamboo by Numaligarh Refinery Limited. 
• Vehicle scrapping: Registered vehicle-scrapping facilities have been included as eligible industrial activities under the Industrial and Investment Policy of Assam, 2019, enabling fiscal incentives under the Assam Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2022. 
  • This promotes the circular economy through recycling and scientific disposal of end-of-life vehicles.

Infrastructure and Human Development

• ₹155.98 crore has been approved for a road overbridge near Hawaipur railway station and a bypass connecting Kheroni Chariali with NH 27, aimed at reducing congestion around Lanka.
• ₹109 crore has been approved for infrastructure development at Gauhati University, including academic buildings, hostels, staff quarters and renovation of important facilities.
• A ₹600-crore Proton Beam Therapy Centre has been approved in Guwahati under the Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation Project. 
• Around 27 bighas in Dhemaji have been allotted for a milk-processing facility, supporting agricultural value addition and strengthening the dairy value chain.

Social Protection

• The Cabinet also approved enhanced Orunodoi assistance for beneficiaries in flood-affected Sivasagar and Charaideo, providing additional financial support during the flood-affected period.

Exam Hook: Prelims Question

Consider the following statements:

1. Battery energy storage can help manage the variable output of solar power.
2. Battery energy storage can store electricity for use during periods of higher demand.
3. Battery energy storage necessarily generates electricity from a primary energy source.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: 1 and 2 only.

One-line wrap: Assam’s latest Cabinet decisions reflect a shift towards green energy, industrial diversification, circular economy, modern healthcare and infrastructure-led development.