Assam Cabinet approves Rs 9.75 crore VRS for tea corporation staff, new rules for homestay registration

way2barak, June 24: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Tuesday that the state cabinet has approved Rs 9.75 crore for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) of executives at Assam Tea Corporation Ltd. He also stated that the cabinet has cleared new rules for homestay registration through a dedicated portal, with registrations requiring renewal every three years.

Speaking at a press conference, the Chief Minister said, “Assam Tea Corporation Ltd executives wanted to take VRS, and the Assam cabinet has approved Rs 9.75 crore for it. The Assam cabinet has approved the rule for registration of home stays in the state. They can register in the portal, and every three years, they can do a renewal. The next cabinet meeting will be held on July 4.”

The cabinet also gave approval to the Assam Regulation of Re-classification and Re-classification cum Transfer of Lands (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will be introduced during the forthcoming Assam Legislative Assembly Budget Session. This decision was made during the state cabinet meeting held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Himanta.

The Chief Minister explained that the bill intends to streamline the regulatory environment and promote industrial and commercial investment in Assam. He specified, “The sectors to be allowed in the Bill are – MSME, Hydrocarbon, Solar, Agriculture to Non-agriculture.”

Additionally, the cabinet approved extending the validity period of all Fair Price Shops (FPSs) licences in the state until December 31, 2026, replacing the previous expiry date of June 30, 2026. This measure aims to ensure uninterrupted operation of these shops and smooth distribution of foodgrains to National Food Security Act beneficiaries across Assam.

Regarding education, the cabinet ratified amendments to the Assam Private Universities Act, 2007, reducing minimum land requirements for establishing private universities from 60 bighas to 35 bighas in rural areas and from 30 bighas to 21 bighas in urban areas.

The cabinet also approved proposals for the school education sector, maintaining prescribed academic and safety standards. The Chief Minister stated, “Under the proposal, the minimum built-up area for LP to Secondary school required for urban areas is 1 bigha, and for rural areas 3 bigha. However, such schools are required to have mandatorily the facilities like sanitation, drinking water, boundary wall, toilets and compliance with disaster mitigation and divyang friendly etc.”

Finally, the government sanctioned ‘The Assam Tourism Accommodation (Development & Registration) Rules, 2026’, establishing a single-window registration process with automatic renewal every three years for homestays and similar accommodations.