After the Khel Ratna award was renamed by the centre, now the BJP-led government in Assam has decided to drop former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s name from a national park in the state.
Assam cabinet on September 1 decided to rename Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park as Orang National Park.
“A few days ago, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with the representatives of Adivasi and Tea tribe community and during the meeting the Adivasi and Tea tribe community people had requested the Assam chief minister to rename the national park to honour the Adivasi, Tea tribe community. Taking cognizance of the demands, Assam cabinet has decided to rename Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park as Orang National Park,” Assam water resources minister and spokesperson of the state government Pijush Hazarika said.
Orang Game Reserve was established as a wild life sanctuary in 1985.
In 1992, the park was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary but this action had to be reversed due to public pressure against the renaming. Finally, the sanctuary was declared as national park in 1999.
The Assam minister further said that, the state cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also decided to appoint boxer Jamuna Boro and archer Sanjay Boro as excise inspectors.
“They will be given appointment letters on September 3, on the birthday of Arjun Awardee Bhogeswar Baruah. The cabinet has decided to appoint Dr Sambhuddha Dhar, as neurosurgeon in Silchar Medical College and Hospital. As a part of administrative reform to disburse amount to the beneficiaries under Arunodoi scheme, the cabinet decided to do away with the FoC system,” Pijush Hazarika said.
The minister also said that, under Prarthana scheme, the Assam cabinet has decided to give 6,500 beneficiaries (next of the kin) of those died of COVID, a one-time grant of Rs 1 lakh.
“The guardian ministers of each district will hand over the amount to the beneficiaries on the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on October 2,” Pijush Hazarika said.
The Assam cabinet has approved the sanction of Rs 660 crore to the deputy commissioners of different districts of the state which they incurred as COVID expenditure for managing the pandemic.
