The Assam Cabinet on Thursday, 24 September 2026, approved a sweeping set of measures spanning industrial investment, wetland rehabilitation, agriculture support, and social welfare — anchored by a ₹11,000-crore proposal for a clinker manufacturing unit and four cement grinding units, and a ₹796.88-crore Asian Development Bank-backed wetland restoration initiative. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decisions after chairing the Cabinet meeting at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur.

Cement and Industrial Investment

The Cabinet greenlit a proposed ₹11,000-crore investment to establish a clinker manufacturing unit and four cement grinding units across Assam. The project is expected to generate approximately 2,000 direct jobs, making it one of the larger private-sector industrial commitments in the state in recent years.

In a related industrial decision, the government approved the allotment of 504 bighas of land at Niz-Gondhmow under Hajo Revenue Circle for a new industrial estate. The land, currently designated as Village Grazing Reserve (VGR), will be dereserved, with an equivalent 504 bighas of government land at Dokania reserved as VGR in its place — a compensatory swap designed to balance industrial expansion with land conservation obligations.

SWIFT Project: Restoring 102 Wetlands

Under the Assam Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) Project, the state will restore and rehabilitate at least 102 derelict community beels (wetlands). The total project cost stands at ₹796.88 crore, with ₹637.504 crore funded through an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan and the remaining ₹159.376 crore borne by the state government.

The project aims to strengthen community-based wetland management and improve livelihoods for fishing communities. Assam's beels have faced decades of encroachment, siltation, and degradation — this intervention represents one of the most structured and externally financed attempts to reverse that decline.

Agriculture and Welfare Decisions

The Cabinet approved state-level guidelines for financial assistance toward promoter contributions under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. The government will bear the full mandatory 10 per cent contribution for collective entities such as Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and cooperatives. For individual beneficiaries — including farmers, startups, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) — the state will cover 5 per cent while the beneficiary contributes the remaining 5 per cent.

On the welfare front, NFSA beneficiaries will receive subsidised sugar at ₹30 per kg in October, along with both masur dal and sugar for a combined ₹100 for the month. The Cabinet also approved a College of Agriculture at Patharkandi in Sribhumi district under Assam Agricultural University, with 256 bighas of land allocated for the purpose.

Orunodoi Boost, Tea Worker Bonus, and Puja Holiday

In a pre-Durga Puja announcement, the Cabinet raised the October Orunodoi assistance — a direct-benefit transfer scheme for women — from ₹1,250 to ₹1,500. A 20 per cent bonus was approved for eligible workers and employees of Assam Tea Corporation Limited, along with minimum pay-scale benefits for 166 muster-roll, casual, and fixed-pay workers.

October 17 was declared an additional Durga Puja holiday. The government also announced that elections to the Mising Autonomous Council and the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council will be held in November.

What Comes Next

The cement investment and industrial estate decisions will now move toward formal allotment and project clearance procedures, with job creation timelines to be established. The SWIFT wetland project, backed by an ADB loan structure, will likely enter a procurement and mobilisation phase. The autonomous council elections in November add a political dimension to an otherwise administrative Cabinet session — and will be watched closely as a gauge of grassroots sentiment ahead of future state polls.