One of the Cabinet decisions was the formation of a panel to assess the situation of the “marginalised” tea tribes in Assam.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that his government will enhance the financial assistance to women in the 18-50 age bracket under Maiyan Samman Yojna to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,000 per month, which was one of the major poll planks of JMM. He said that starting December, Rs 2,500 will be credited monthly to the bank accounts of each woman beneficiary under the scheme.
Read More: ED Raids Raj Kundra’s Mumbai Residence In Pornographic Content Case
“We had previously decided to offer Rs 2,500, and now this benefit will be credited to women’s accounts every month from December,” Soren told reporters after his government’s first cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Although Soren mentioned the decision was made during the cabinet meeting held, no ministers took an oath that day. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat later confirmed the decision was made at the meeting.
Launched in August, the Maiyan Samman Yojana has already benefited over 50 lakh women across the state. Political analysts say the scheme played a key role in securing the victory of the INDIA alliance in the recent Jharkhand assembly elections.
Decisions by Hemant Soren Cabinet
One of the Cabinet decisions was the formation of a panel to assess the situation of the “marginalised” tea tribes in Assam. This move comes amid ongoing political tensions between the JMM-led coalition and the NDA. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly highlighted the alleged infiltration of people from Bangladesh into Jharkhand, which has affected the state’s tribal communities.
Another decision involves pursuing legal action to recover Rs 1.36 lakh crore from the central government for unpaid coal dues. This decision follows a plea from Soren earlier this month, where he appealed “with folded hands” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to clear the dues, which have been hindering Jharkhand’s development.
Soren, in his first official meeting since his re-election, met with Modi in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss state matters.
The cabinet also approved the establishment of a special cell within the Finance Department to identify new sources of revenue and increase taxes in the mining sector. Additionally, the cabinet decided to review the police recruitment process, instructing the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), and other authorities to publish an exam calendar by January 2025 to fill vacant positions.
The cabinet also decided to convene a session of the state assembly from December 9 to 12. Senior JMM MLA Stephen Marandi, named as pro-tem speaker, will oversee the proceedings until a permanent speaker is elected. The formation of the new cabinet is still pending, with Congress expected to receive four ministerial positions, the RJD one, and the CPI(ML)L possibly getting one as well.
Hemant Soren sworn-in as 14th CM
Soren, 49, took the oath of office as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony attended by top political leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath.
This is Soren’s fourth term as chief minister. The JMM-led alliance secured 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly in last week’s elections, while the BJP-led NDA won 24 seats.
