Guwahati: Dispur on Monday said the upper age limit for grade III and IV government jobs has been increased by one year - from 43 to 44. The upper age limit for grade I and II posts, will, however, remain 38 years.

This is one of the promises announced in the budget by the BJP-led coalition government which came to power in May 2016.

The state's finance department also approved another budget pledge by withdrawing application fees for grade III and IV posts. The same for grades I and II will be Rs 250 for general category candidates and Rs 150 for ST, SC and OBC candidates.

Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday told reporters here that the department also approved the government's proposal to increase the salary of contractual teachers in high schools by Rs 5,000 - from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month. There are nearly 7,000 such contractual high school teachers at present.

"We have also got the approval for giving Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia to families of the deceased who worked in government-run societies," he said.

Atal Amrit benefits

Sarma, who is also the health minister, said 1.50 crore people have enrolled their names for Atal Amrit Abhiyan in the last one month when the Centre's flagship scheme was launched in the state.

He said 49 hospitals, both private and government, have been empanelled in the state and other parts of the country.

A total of 1,120 patients have already availed themselves of the benefits of Atal Amrit card which offers cashless treatment up to Rs 2 lakh to each card-holder for various diseases.

Sarma said Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Medanta the Medicity, Gurgaon, Park Hospital, New Delhi, Fortis Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences (all three in Bangalore) are some of the prominent hospitals to have been enrolled under the scheme.

Sarma said of 1,120 patients, 557 were cancer patients followed by patients with kidney ailments (365), cardiology and cardiac surgery (123), neurology and neuro surgery (51), burns (22) and neonatology (2). A sum of Rs 3.4 crore has been spent against the enrolment.

Sarma said Dispur has also signed an MoU with the Centre for the recently-announced Aarogya Bharat scheme, a scheme for BPL families.

"The BPL families with Atal Amrit cards can also get Aarogya Bharat cards, but we will allow them to use the Aarogya Bharat card first and then the Atal Amrit card for additional expenses," he said.