Approvals of an advance amount of Rs 80 crore for ‘branding’ and related work for information dissemination of various schemes; Rs 21.25 lakh for ferrying the mother of a Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer by air ambulance from city to another; Rs 132 crore for procurement and installation of MRI and CT scan machines in 'Rajkiya (State) Medical College and Hospital and Sadar Hospital, Ranchi'; to increase the category-wise students from 25 to 50 under Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme; and Jharkhand Congress chief’s elevation to a cabinet rank status. These were some of the key decisions the Hemant Soren-led Cabinet took on Tuesday. With the state Assembly going to the polls, likely by the end of next month, the Cabinet meeting went on until late night, after which Soren spoke to the media around 11 pm. Announcing the decisions, CM Soren said: “There is a difference between the double engine government and the INDIA bloc government. Earlier, we used to send 25 students under the Marang Gomke scholarship scheme, and in this Cabinet, we have increased the number to 50. The students will study at various universities in the UK. Also, the Cabinet approved forming a high-level committee consisting of retired judges, state and central administrative officers, and other departments to sort out various problems such as promotion, vacancies, etc.” The Cabinet press note said that in various districts of Jharkhand, several programmes have been organised at the district or the headquarters levels to promote ‘Maiyya Samman Yojana’, ‘Aapki Yojana Aapki Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ among others, for which the department has carried out branding work. “.the branding work has been undertaken…Moreover, in light of the directives received from higher authorities, approval has been granted to receive an advance amount of Rs 80 crore from the Jharkhand Contingency Fund for the payment of bills related to the extensive promotion and dissemination of various schemes and achievements," it said. The press note also stated that a ‘post-facto approval’ has been granted for the reimbursement of Rs 21,500 incurred under special circumstances for transporting the mother of Manjunath Bhajantri, 2011-batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer, by air ambulance from Hubli, Karnataka to Chennai and back in September this year. Additionally, under the state plan for the financial year 2024-25, administrative approval has been granted for the procurement and installation of MRI and CT scan machines at Rajkiya (State) Medical College Hospital and Sadar Hospital, Ranchi, for a total amount of Rs 132 crore. The press note also stated that Congress state chief Keshav Mahto Kamlesh has been approved as a member of the Jharkhand State Coordination Committee. The committee was formed in 2021 to maintain coordination among the coalition government in the event of the arrest of Hemant Soren, who was then embroiled in a stone mining lease controversy. The Cabinet also approved Rs 136.95 crore for the proposed construction of Jharkhand Bhawan at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, based on the technical approval received at the competent level. Additionally, the Cabinet said approval has been given to operate state-level free coaching for minority students in Jharkhand to prepare for competitive exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), and various other recruitment examinations.
