Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday said separate departments will be formed for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class. There will be a separate directorate but a single Minister and senior officers.
Briefing cabinet decisions, Baghel said that for more centralized implementation of the welfare schemes of each category, it had been decided to form separate departments.
At present, all these categories are under a department, which has created hurdles and delays in reaching out to the targeted beneficiaries.
On a query, he said at present the cabinet portfolio will continue even after separation of the departments. As there is a shortage of Secretaries, the department will be handled by them.
The only part is that at the directorate level, there will be clear cut separation with a separate director for each department. This will ease their functioning.
Also, people appointed on Grade III and IV in district-level and division-level posts in Korba and Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi districts of Bilaspur division and districts in Bastar and Surguja divisions notified as Scheduled areas will not be transferred, deputed, merged or annexed outside the district and the division, Baghel said.
The Chhattisgarh State Hydroelectric Project (Pump Storage Based) Establishment Policy 2022 was approved to encourage investment for setting up the pump storage-based hydro power projects in the state, Baghel said.
The cabinet has decided to extend by 10 years the duration of the notification issued for the establishment of a small hydro power project of 25 MW capacity. This had expired in February 2022.
Farmers keen to lease their land to establish solar power plants will get Rs 30,000 per acre annually. Every year, a 6 percent increase is also assured.
The tenure will be 25 years after which if a farmer is interested he can continue otherwise h can dismantle it. The land can be given to private players also, he said.