Assam Cabinet approves new coaching institute rules focused on student mental health, a Youth Empowerment Department, a child protection policy, Barak Valley secretariat renaming and eight new co-districts on August 18.
Guwahati, Aug 18: The Assam Cabinet on Tuesday approved a regulatory framework for private coaching institutes centred on student mental health, alongside a series of other decisions spanning youth welfare, child protection, administrative restructuring and cooperative dairy farming.
The Cabinet cleared the enactment of the Assam Private Coaching Institutes (Control and Student Mental Health Safeguard) Rules, 2026. Under the rules, any coaching institute with 50 or more students will be required to register with the district commissioner. Institutes will also have to ensure sensitive, non-discriminatory environments for students from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class and Economically Weaker Section backgrounds, as well as for students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and students affected by trauma, bereavement or prior suicide attempts.
In a separate decision, the Cabinet approved the creation of a new Youth Empowerment and Development Department. The department is intended to focus on employment facilitation, career guidance, entrepreneurship promotion, leadership development and the convergence of existing youth-focused schemes under one administrative umbrella.
Following decisions have been approved in today's meeting of the #AssamCabinet
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 18, 2026
? Legal framework for Private coaching institutes
?8 new Co-Districts and Youth Empowerment and Development Dept
?Hydrocarbon Exploration Policy
?Digital registration of Dairy Co-op societies pic.twitter.com/UmSmFn97Tp
The Cabinet also approved the Assam State Child Protection Policy, 2026, along with a draft of the Assam Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2026. According to the briefing, the two measures are meant to support more effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the POCSO Rules, 2020.
On administrative matters, the Cabinet approved renaming the Mini Secretariat in Barak Valley as the Assam Secretariat Barak Valley, Silchar. The renamed secretariat is expected to accommodate the functioning of 32 major and other departments.
The Cabinet further approved the operationalisation of eight new co-districts: Kamalpur, Barhampur, Ranganadi, Sissiborgaon, Chabua-Lahowal, Khumtai, Katigorah and Borkhola.
In a move aimed at the dairy sector, the Cabinet approved fully digitising and simplifying the registration process for dairy cooperative societies in the state through a new online portal. The decision is intended to ease business registration and streamline the management of milk cooperatives, according to the briefing.
The decisions were announced in a post on X by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma following the Cabinet meeting. Further details on implementation timelines and rollout of the new rules and policies were not immediately available.
