Munda takes oath as CM,says drought top priority

Soon after Governor M O H Farook administered him oath,Munda held his first Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat and decided to deal with drought as his government’s top priority. All 24 districts of Jharkhand are in the grip of unprecedented drought. “Drought is a major problem facing the state. Farmers are in trouble. To deal with it is our first priority and a big challenge,” the Chief Minister said after the meeting.

Munda promised a transparent,stable and accountable government. “We will not tolerate corruption,” he said.

The Cabinet meeting was attended by his two allies — All Jharkhand Students Union’s Sudesh Mahato and JMM’s Hemant Soren — who took oath as ministers on Saturday,each with the rank of Deputy CM. Munda is likely to induct nine other ministers in his Cabinet after September 14.

The Cabinet approved 17 proposals including a provision to hike the salary of university and college teachers as per the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and distribution of Rs 130 crore among farmers covered under the crop insurance and dismissal of 40 engineers of the road construction appointed on ad-hoc basis.

In Jamshedpur,Munda’s Lok Sabha constituency — he will now have to win a bypoll to enter the Assembly within six months — friends and old acquaintances celebrated. “We are proud of him because he is a man of words. Once he takes a decision he sticks to it,” said 68-year-old Dinesh Manjhi,a former colleague.

At the state-run Harijan Ucch Vidyalaya where Munda finished matriculation and went on to complete graduation from a government college near Jamshedpur,students and teachers celebrated. “I have seen him as a CM in the past,” said Ram Prasad Yadav,a teacher. “Once while he was touring,he noticed one of his former teachers standing on the roadside. He got down from his car and touched his feet. I’ll never forget that,” he said.

Munda,who quit the JMM to join the BJP more than a decade ago,became the Chief Minister for the first time in 2003 and grabbed it the second time in 2005.

Among prominent BJP leaders to attend the oath-taking ceremony were former BJP president Rajnath Singh,Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. State BJP chief Raghubar Das stayed away.