Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday chaired a cabinet meeting in Guwahati where it was decided that ex-servicemen recruited before 2005 in the State, with service span above 10 years and below 20 years will receive pension from now on.

In the same meeting, the government approved 2% increase of Dearness Allowance (DA) for employees applicable from July 1, 2018. The DA has now increased from the previous 7% to 9%.

The Cabinet approved amendment of Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2013 to allow auction of valuable minerals like Granite, Silica and China Clay. This will provide huge boost to industrial sector in the state.

A major step taken in the meeting was to carry out a pilot project by Water Resource Department to identify ways to set up new industries by using the sands to be collected through dredging of river Brahmaputra.

The Assam Cabinet also approved measures for increasing supply of construction materials like sand and stones to address scarcity of these items.

Another important step taken during the meeting was approval of special recruitment drive to clear backlog of seats reserved for Divyangjans through State Level Police Recruitment Board.