The Jharkhand Cabinet on Monday approved the proposal to provide scholarship to girl students to pursue technical education.
Under the 'Manki Munda' Scholarship scheme, a girl student will get Rs 15,000 scholarship per annum for pursuing diploma courses, while Rs 30,000 annually for engineering courses.
The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Champai Soren.
Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel said the scholarship scheme was introduced to encourage girl students for technical education in the state, as boys and girls ratio in state technical institution is 6:1.
"Around 3,000 girl students pursuing diploma courses will benefit from the scheme in the first year. Similarly, 1,200 students will get the benefit for the first year in engineering courses", she said.
To avail the benefit in the next academic session, the student will have to pass the examination with 50 per cent marks in aggregate without any back paper, she said.
    The Champai Soren government has also decided to provide interest-free loans to Jharkhand farmers, provided they return the loan within the stipulated period. The cabinet approved the proposal of interest subvention of 4 per cent from the existing 3 per cent, Dadel said.  Currently, farmers are charged 7 per cent on loan in the country. Centre and state each offer a 3 per cent interest subvention, bringing down the loan interest to farmers at 1 per cent. "Now, Jharkhand has decided to increase the interest subvention to 4 per cent, which means farmers will get interest free loan in Jharkhand", state agriculture secretary Aboobacker Siddique said.
    As many as 25 agendas were cleared by the cabinet including approval to the revised amount of Rs 114.47 crore for houses being built for 11 cabinet ministers in Ranchi Smart City. Earlier, the administrative approval for the project was Rs 69.90 crore.
    The cabinet also gave the go-ahead to the proposal of hiring non-government organizations (NGOs) for operation of the 593 SC, ST and OBC hostels in the state.
    "The NGOs will have to arrange cook, night guard and librarian for the hostel. They will also be liable for housekeeping of the hostels", Dadel said.

The cabinet also decided that in the appointment of assistant professors in the universities of Jharkhand state, including constituent and affiliated colleges (including deficit-funded minority colleges) and Ph.D. Approval was given for the formation of JET Examination Conduct Rules for conducting Jharkhand Eligibility Test (JET) for admission in Jharkhand. After the Governor relaxed the educational qualification at the time of appointment of SC/ST teachers of the colleges adopted in the fourth phase, the service adjustment and salary determination of 22 SC/ST teachers will be done from the date of absorption against the available created posts.

Apart from this, approval was also given for the formation of Jharkhand Technical Education Service Rules, 2023 for recruitment and service conditions for appointment to teachers and other posts in the Directorate of Education, Government Engineering Colleges and Government Polytechnic Institutes.

Revised administrative approval was given on the revised estimate of total amount of Rs. 114,47,21,100/- (Rupees One Hundred Fourteen Crore Forty Seven Lakh Twenty One Thousand One Hundred) for the residence of 11 Cabinet Ministers of Jharkhand Government under construction under Ranchi Smart City area. Went. Approval was given to adopt and establish the law faculty running in Jamshedpur Co-operative College under Kolhan University, Chaibasa as Jamshedpur Co-operative Law College.

The approval of the Council of Ministers was given on the point of introducing the Jharkhand Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the upcoming budget session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly to enact the Jharkhand Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023. A plan of only Rs. 15722.45 lakh (Rs. one hundred fifty seven crore twenty two lakh forty five thousand) was made for the implementation of Solid Waste Management Scheme under Bishrampur Municipal Council on the basis of Public Private Partnership Mode. Administrative approval was given. Approval was given to create 01 (one) post of 'Senior Appointed Secretary to the Governor' in the establishment of Governor's Secretariat, Jharkhand, Ranchi, in the pay scale PB-IV, 37400- 67000/-, GP-8700/-. To complete the remaining works under Jharkhand Complete Electricity Covering Scheme, approval was given to extend the period of the scheme till March 2024. Post-facto approval was given to extend the tenure of Jharkhand State Law Commission from 14.11.2023 to 13.11.2025 with retrospective effect.

Approval was given for the formation of the Fifth State Finance Commission under Article 243-1 read with Article 243-Y of the Constitution of India and Section 114 (1) of the Jharkhand Panchayat Raj Act 2001. Widening, strengthening and rehabilitation of “Union Bank Gandey Mod to Union Bank Pratappur road (total length – 10.465 km) under Giridih by transferring it from Rural Works Department to Road Construction Department.