• Assam Government revokes facilities, government accommodation for Ex-CMs

    Regional
    Assam Government revokes facilities, government accommodation for Ex-CMs
    Digital Desk: The Assam government stated that it had revoked the accommodation and security cover it had previously provided to former chief ministers or Ex-CMs. 

    However, the current live Assam Ex-CMs, Sarbananda Sonowal and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta will continue to use the facilities. 

    "At accordance with the decision taken by the Cabinet in its meeting held on January 1, 2022, the government of Assam has revoked the facilities of accommodation and complete security covering offered to ex-chief ministers of Assam prospectively." 

    "According to an official statement, it is unclear what the administration meant by "complete security." 

    Based on a core security review and constitutional role, the cabinet decided that a personal security officer (PSO) would be deployed.

    Instead of the National Security Guard, the Central Reserve Police Force is protecting Himanta Biswa Sarma. His predecessors — Sarbananda Sonowal, Tarun Gogoi, and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta — all benefited from NSG security in the insurgency-wracked state of Assam. However, after the BJP took power in 2016, Gogoi's NSG cover was replaced with CRPF.

    Similarly, the Union home ministry reduced Mahanta's NSG protection in 2019 after utilising the black cats for counter-terror operations. In 2017, he was awarded Z plus security. 

    CM Sarma has been a CRPF protectee since 2017. In the previous Sonowal headed Assam government, Sarma was in charge of Assam's health, finance, and education departments.

    The Assam government had previously determined that the Chief Minister's carcade will be limited to six cars within the Guwahati Metropolitan Area and 12 cars in other areas/districts, excluding Escort and Pilot.

    The cabinet had resolved that traffic would not be affected before the Chief Minister's road trip. However, if necessary, the programme can be halted for up to a few minutes. Ambulances will prioritise the CM's carcade and will not be stopped.

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