GUWAHATI: The Assam government is set to introduce a law that will make it mandatory for government employees to take care of their parents or face a deduction from their income to be contributed towards their parents’ welfare.
Assam’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during the presentation of the budget on Tuesday, announced the government has decided to link geriatric care to their employees’ pay from the 2017-18 fiscal.
He said employees must take care of their parents failing which a part of their salary will be deducted as sustenance for them.
“To provide adequate care to elderly people, a legislation will be introduced which will mandate the deduction of a certain portion of employees’ salary to provide for their respective parents in case they fail to take bear such responsibilities,” the minister said in his budget speech.
On BJP’s thrust on ‘Swadeshi Values,’ the government proposed to annually reimburse an employee up to Rs1,000 on the purchase of two Khadi apparels.
The government also decided to provide entertainment tax rebate to multiplexes if they screen Assamese and regional films.
The decision came days after an alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD) wrote to the military chief of insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Paresh Baruah, seeking help to save his Assamese film
“Shakira Ahibo Bakultolor Bihuloi.” The film was allegedly taken off screen despite its popularity to accommodate Shah Rukh Khan’s “Raees” and Hrithik Roshan’s “Kaabil”.
“I propose to grant 50 per cent entertainment tax exemption for a period of three years to permanent multiplexes which have commenced or will commence their commercial operation during the specified period provided they give a written
undertaking to the effect that they will show an Assamese/regional film in one of the screens if such a film is available for screening at a particular point in time,” Sarma said.
In his “open letter” to Baruah, the filmmaker, Himanghshu Prasad Das, wrote on the former’s Facebook page demanding justice for his film. “My movie was taken off-screen despite popularity due to the interference of certain vested interests. We demand that it be screened as long as it continues to draw a respectable audience,” he said.
The ULFA leader reacted to the appeal immediately. Talking to local media houses, he observed it was mandatory to screen Assamese movies in the state’s theatre halls. “If Hindi movies are imposed upon the Assamese, we won’t take it lightly,” he warned.
Taking a strong note of Das’ appeal to a banned organisation, the police later registered a case against him on charges of waging war against the country and also interrogated him.