Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the government will table a new bill in the Assembly during the budget session where a student who has not studied Assamese as one of the subjects in Class 10 will not get government jobs in the state.

Addressing a press meet in Guwahati, Sarma said that only those who have studied Assamese till Class 10 will be eligible to apply for Assam government jobs. The Minister also mentioned that the rule will be applicable to all the areas of Assam except for the three Barak Valley districts and the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts.

Sarma said that the Assam Cabinet has already taken a decision for making Assamese a compulsory subject in all mediums of schools. The Assam cabinet has also decided to request the Centre to make Assamese the state language forever excluding BTAD, Barak valley and hill districts.

During a state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal last year, it was decided that the Assam government will bring a legislation in next Assembly Session making Assamese a compulsory subject in all English and other medium schools upto Class 10 excluding hill districts, BTAD, Bodo dominated areas and Barak Valley.

The decision came in wake of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) protests across the state. The anti-CAA protesters are saying that the new citizenship law is a threat to Assamese identity, language, culture and tradition.

Assam Heritage Preservation Bill will be introduced in the next session of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

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