PATNA: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the new sand policy for the state to check its illegal mining and ensure maximum revenue. This was done in accordance with the directives of the apex court on February 27, 2012.
Briefing reporters here, cabinet secretariat department secretary Brajesh Mehrotra said the cabinet also approved a proposal to set up Bihar State Mining Corporation which will provide sand for 25 years on lease. The corporation will independently handle the entire process of inviting tenders for the lease rights.
Under the new policy, a separate cell will be set up for getting environment clearance, e-tendering, mining plan and online monitoring system, Mehrotra said.
The cabinet also approved the creation of a separate post of adviser (infrastructure) to CM. Former Union home secretary R K Singh, a Bihar cadre retired IAS officer, is likely to fill the post.
The cabinet also okayed the proposal of the social welfare department to introduce a new 'Parvarish' yojana to provide allowance to orphaned children and wards of HIV positive and parents suffering from leprosy. This will be applicable to BPL families or those having annual income of not more than Rs 60,000. Children up to six years of age would be given a monthly allowance of Rs 900 each while those above six years and up to 18 years would be given Rs 1000 in the same category.
The guardian of the child would get Rs 900 per month for 1-9 years of age and Rs 1000 for 6-18 years after producing BPL card, death of the parents of the child and the certified copy of the adoption. This scheme would be implemented immediately, Mehrotra said.
The necessary detailed and forms can be obtained from the child development department.
For the payment of salary to the employees of Shrimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidanand Sinha Library, Patna, cabinet approved a sum of Rs 20 lakh for the financial year 2013-14 under the non-plan expenditure. A sum of Rs 2 lakh has also been okayed for the Srikrishna Seva Sadan Library, Munger, to meet the establishment cost in the current financial year.
A sum of Rs 3 crore to Chanakya National Law University was approved for building construction and hosting its first convocation.
The cabinet okayed the payment of revised payscale to the teaching and the non-teaching staff of all 1,128 madrassas and 531 Sanskrit schools. A sum of Rs 10.46 crore was okayed for the payment of 2,460 teachers and non-teaching staff of the Bihar State Madrassa Examination Board.
The cabinet sanctioned Rs 15 crore to the Bihar Open Schools Teaching and Examination Board for the implementation of 'Hunar-IV scheme.
It cleared Rs 784.44 crore for diesel subsidy payment in view of the drought-like situation in the state. The agriculture department proposal was also nodded to release an advance of Rs 150 crore.
The cabinet also okayed the proposal of the Public Health and Engineering Department to start 'Mukhyamantri Chaapa Kal Yojna' for which Rs 240.42 crore has been sanctioned for installing 55,221 hand pumps as per the recommendations of the legislators in each panchayat, local bodies, urban areas and nagar panchayats.
