Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet on Tuesday approved a package of measures covering child protection, youth affairs, labour, education and governance, including a new child protection policy, a dedicated department for youth welfare and revised labour rules.
The Cabinet also approved the renaming of the Mini Secretariat in Silchar as the Assam Secretariat, Barak Valley, Silchar, with 32 departments to be accommodated there. It also cleared measures for setting up permanent campuses of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Guwahati, and Azim Premji University, besides digitising the registration of cooperative societies.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new Youth Empowerment and Welfare Department would bring several youth-oriented initiatives under a common administrative framework.
The department will bring together activities related to the Youth Commission, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Scouts and Guides, Youth and Student Welfare, and employment exchanges.
It will focus on employment facilitation, career guidance, entrepreneurship, leadership development and coordination among various youth initiatives.
The department will begin functioning from September 17 and will have a secretariat and directorate, along with zonal offices at the district level.
“I believe Assam would be the only state in the country to have a separate department for youth, as most other states have it combined with sports,” Sarma said.
He said the focus on youth was not a new initiative but part of a continuous process undertaken by the government over the past decade.
The Cabinet approved the Assam State Child Protection Policy, 2026, aimed at strengthening safeguards for children and regulating childcare institutions.
Sarma said the policy was in line with directions and observations of the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court on the need for a comprehensive child protection framework in Assam.
Under the framework, childcare institutions will have to meet requirements including the appointment of a child welfare officer, installation of closed-circuit television cameras and adherence to a code of conduct, among other prescribed safeguards.
The Cabinet also approved the draft Assam Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2026.
The rules are intended to facilitate implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the POCSO Rules, 2020.
“They will provide a framework for dealing with children in conflict with law and matters related to juvenile justice and will also provide mechanisms to address issues such as human trafficking,” Sarma said.
The Cabinet approved notification of the Assam Industrial Relation Rules, 2026, and the Assam Social Security Rules, 2026.
The Industrial Relation Rules replace three regulations described by the Chief Minister as outdated, while the Social Security Rules have been framed under the Code on Social Security, 2020.
Sarma said 29 labour-related laws at the national level had subsequently been consolidated by the Centre into four labour codes.
“Assam has now notified rules relating to two of these codes, while the remaining rules would be taken up after further discussions,” he said.
The Cabinet decided to rename the proposed Mini Secretariat, Barak Valley, as the Assam Secretariat, Barak Valley, Silchar.
Of the 59 departments, 32 major and important departments will be accommodated in the new secretariat, Sarma said.
The Cabinet also approved the transfer and allotment of land for permanent campuses of IIM Guwahati and Azim Premji University.
Sarma had earlier said 576 bighas of land in Palasbari had been allotted for IIM, while 200 bighas had been allotted for Azim Premji University.
The Cabinet also approved full digitisation and simplification of the registration process for cooperative societies, beginning with dairy cooperatives.
Registration of dairy cooperative societies will be made online and paperless, with the government targeting completion within one day.
Registration of other cooperative societies will be completed within one month.
The move, Sarma said, would make it easier to do business and streamline cooperative management.