Guwahati, February 7 The Assam cabinet on Saturday approved the formation of the 8th State Pay Commission, along with the allocation of land for various educational institutions.
It also cleared the revised Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Policy under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), in line with central government directives.
Speaking to reporters about the cabinet decisions, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The formation of the 8th Assam Pay Commission, 2026, to examine and recommend revisions in pay, allowances, service conditions, and other related matters, taking into account the state's financial position, has been approved."
Retired IAS officer Subhash Chandra Das will head the panel, with Ratul Mahanta, a professor at Gauhati University, as a special invitee.
Top officials from the finance, personnel, law, and other departments will be members of the commission, Sarma said.
He also said that the cabinet has approved the revised O&M Policy for Rural Piped Water Supply Systems under JJM, to create a unified and future-ready operational framework for rural water supply across the state.
"The revised policy aligns with the central government mandate under JJM 2.0, and provides a structured framework to institutionalize Jal Mitra and Jal Sahayak roles at the community level," he said.
The cabinet also gave the go-ahead for the allocation of land for Krishnaguru Adhyatmik Viswavidyalaya at Sartherbari, and for the permanent campus of IIM-Guwahati.
It also gave the nod for settling land in favor of 2,372 indigenous landless families residing within 1 km to 5 km of the periphery of the Dhemaji Municipal Town, taking into account the large tribal population inhabiting the villages with their hereditary land.
Besides, the cabinet approved the sanction of Rs 800 crore for the implementation of Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CM-AAA), a state government entrepreneurship development scheme.
