Assam Cabinet okays Bill to ban ‘magical healing’

Guwahati: The Assam government gave its nod to a bill to prohibit and eliminate practices of “magical healing” in the name of treatment, proposing strong punitive action against the “healers”.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday.

Sharing the decisions taken at the meeting on X, Sarma said the cabinet also selected 10 cities/towns for a dedicated sustainable development programme and proposed to bring in reforms in the state municipal cadres.

The council of ministers approved the ‘Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024’.

The proposed Bill seeks to “prohibit and eliminate practices of magical healing in the name of treatment of some congenital diseases such as deafness, dumbness, blindness, physical deformity and autism”.

‘It will prohibit such healing sessions completely and provide strong punitive action against ‘healers’ extorting the poor and downtrodden people in the name of treatment,’ the CM wrote on X.

For sustainable urban development, concept of ten cities development (Doh Shaher-Ek Rupayan) will be introduced.