Assam okays bill to ban ‘magical healing’

Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Assam government gave its nod to a bill to prohibit and eliminate practices of "magical healing" in the name of treatment, proposing strong punitive action against the "healers". The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday. Sharing the decisions taken at the meeting on X, Sarma said the cabinet also selected 10 cities/towns for a dedicated sustainable development programme and proposed to bring in reforms in the state municipal cadres. The council of ministers approved the ‘Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024'. The proposed bill seeks to "prohibit and eliminate practices of magical healing in the name of treatment of some congenital diseases such as deafness, dumbness, blindness, physical deformity and autism".

‘No subsidised power to ministers, staff'

No subsidised power will be provided to any minister, officer or government employee in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. He has instructed the power department to install prepaid meters in government quarters, including residences in the ministerial colony. Sarma, in a post on X, said that he was informed by power department officials during a recent interaction that a very nominal amount on account of the monthly power bill is deducted from the salaries of ministers and senior officers. "Immediately, I instructed the department to install individual prepaid meters in every government quarter, including residences in the ministerial colony," he said.

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