Giving its employees a festival gift when Durga Puja and Diwali are just round the corner, the Cabinet on Monday hiked the dearness allowance (DA) by
10 per cent. The employees, like their central Government counterparts, would now get the allowance 90 per cent of their basic pay that has been made applicable with the effect from July 1, 2013. "The Cabinet has granted its permission to raise the DA of the State Government employees in the line of Central Government employees. They would be getting 90 per cent as DA from July 1 this year," said Cabinet Secretary JB Tubid while briefing the reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
The last revision in DA was done in March during the President's Rule in Jharkhand when the Government had announced 12 per cent hike. In another important decision, the State Cabinet approved the sacking of eight Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) deputed at different point of time in Garhwa since the formation of the State. They included Dr Vijay Kumar Mishra, Dr Dhananjay Singh, Dr Ajit Kumar, Dr Srikant, Dr Manju Kumari, Dr Nandari Kumari, Dr Naveen Sinha and
Dr Yusuf Ansari. "The CMOs had not attended office and did not assume their charges; thus the Cabinet gave its assent to sack them," added the Secretary. Notably, in a similar fashion the Hemant Soren Government had removed 125 doctors posted in rural areas in September this year on the same grounds. The Cabinet also took a decision to elevate 23 State Judicial Service officers working as Additional District Judges. The judicial officers have now been promoted as District Judges.
This apart, a decision to provide piped drinking water to six districts of the State by the loan coming from the World Bank and the Centre was also taken in the meeting. Garhwa, Palamau, Khunti, Seraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum and Dumka are the districts to be covered under the project. "Rs 879 crore would be spent on the project for six years' tenure. The Centre, State and World Bank would share the entire spending on 25:25:50 basis," added the official. The Government would also take loan of Rs 62.31 crore from NABARD for rural roads under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund.
The Cabinet, also in the light of recent Supreme Court judgment, made provision for mandatory consultation with the concerned court in case any proposal for remission of life sentence comes before the State Conviction Re-examination Committee. The Committee is presently headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. "Convictions given under Section 432 of the CrPC-1973 can come under this," said Tubid.
Decision to make available 2 per cent 'Input Tax Credit' to the VAT paying businessmen of the State has also been taken that would be equivalent of the CST. The Cabinet also approved four laning of Churhu-Hatyari More (30 km) at the cost of Rs 62.67 crore and Birsa Chowk-Tupudana (7.55 km) at the cost of Rs 54.16 crore.