Dibrugarh (Assam), Jan 30 (PTI) The Assam Cabinet on Monday approved a state floriculture mission with an initial investment of Rs 150 crore, covering 20,000 farmers, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Several other important decisions were taken at the cabinet meeting, including setting up of an additional CM secretariat at Dibrugarh, a new Raj Bhavan at Tezpur and converting employment exchanges into youth welfare offices, he said.

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A cabinet committee has also been formed to prepare for an event on April 14, marking the Assamese new year, when an attempt will be made to enter record books with the assembly of 10,000 'Bihu' dancers, Sarma said.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the CM said in view of the huge demand for flowers in Assam, which is currently met with supply from Kolkata and even Thailand, a State Floriculture Mission has been approved.

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Under it, the area of flower cultivation will be expanded from 2,200 hectares to 3,288 hectares within three years.

“After paddy and fishery, we are now focusing on achieving self-sufficiency in floriculture,” the chief minister said.

He also announced a slew of projects and schemes worth around Rs 1,500-2,000 crore for Dibrugarh district.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)