Hemant Soren begins 4th innings as Jharkhand CM, hikes Maiya Samman assistance to Rs 2,500

He also announced that the Jharkhand government will explore legal options to claim Rs 1.36 lakh crore that the “Centre owes to the Jharkhand government”, increase taxes on mining activities in the state as well as the creation of a dedicated unit within the Revenue Department to speed up the recovery of dues in various cases.

In a related announcement, which pushed the formation of the state’s Cabinet to mid-December, Soren announced the appointment of Maheshpur JMM legislator Stephen Marandi as pro tem Speaker of the Assembly, which would have a special session from December 9 to 12. During the session, the state’s newly elected 81 MLAs will be administered the oath of office.

अबुआ सरकार – हर झारखण्डी की सरकार
अबुआ सरकार – INDIA गठबंधन की सरकार pic.twitter.com/jgxLuGRAs1

— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) November 28, 2024

“There is neither need for hurry nor for speculation,” a JMM source said when asked whether the top brass of the Congress, including its national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav who were in attendance at his oath-taking ceremony, had discussed the way forward regarding the Cabinet formation.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren with his wife and JMM leader Kalpana Soren, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and party leader Rahul Gandhi, in Ranchi, Thursday. (PTI)

“First there will be the oath-taking (of MLAs), followed by a floor test and then the expansion of the Cabinet. Everyone concerned will sit together and take the required decisions,” the source said.

Those present at the swearing-in ceremony included Soren’s parents Shibu Soren and Roopi Soren, his wife Kalpana, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Following formalities at his office, he handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh and a job letter to the next of kin of Arjun Mahto, an Agniveer from Bokaro who died in Assam’s Silchar on November 22.

Congratulations to Shri Hemant Soren on taking oath as Jharkhand CM. Best wishes to him for his tenure ahead.@HemantSorenJMM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2024

He also announced that the new government will speed up recruitment in the state police and fill vacancies in all government departments “without delay”.

“…we had decided that Agniveers from Jharkhand getting martyred will find the state government standing by the side of their families… Arjun Mahto was martyred…we called his family today; his brother was given an appointment letter and Rs 10 lakh compensation…,” Soren said.

“…apart from this, for the swearing of all the 81 elected members of the legislative Assembly, Professor Stephen Marandi has been chosen as pro tem Speaker and it was also decided that the first Assembly session will be held from December 9 to 12,” he added.

“We will claim our dues from the Centre – Rs 1.36 lakh crore – through legal channel. We all know that this state is the most backward in the country and that social security is immensely important and necessary for it,” he said.

“To provide financial independence to the poorest of the poor of the state…the government will be required to increase its revenue. For this, new resources will be identified. Taxes currently implemented in the mining sector will be reassessed and…pending cases (related to payment of dues) will be sped up…the government will move forward towards assessing the quantum of taxes that can be levied under the mining sector,” he added.

He also announced that the new government would speed up recruitment in the state police in addition to filling existing vacancies in government departments “without delay” on the one hand while reassessing the existing recruitment scheme on the other.

The Jharkhand Assembly, he added, will also send a multi-party delegation to Assam’s tea gardens to assess the condition of people from Jharkhand employed there to suggest measures for their rehabilitation.