Ranchi: The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government on Monday approved 33 major proposals, announcing a mix of farmer-centric measures, infrastructure upgrades and administrative decisions aimed at accelerating the state’s development agenda ahead of 2026.

At the top of the list, the state announced that paddy will be procured at the Centre’s MSP with an additional ₹81 per quintal state bonus, taking the effective price to ₹2,450 per quintal—a move expected to give a significant cushion to farmers in the ongoing procurement cycle.

The cabinet also finalised Jharkhand’s 2026 public and bank holiday calendar, approved revised cess measures to boost revenue generation, and cleared an MoU for operating the Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre at Muta in partnership with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). An e-voucher system for select schemes was also approved to improve transparency in welfare distribution.

Other Key Cabinet Decisions

The cabinet pushed through a wide slate of decisions across roads, infrastructure, personnel, education and land management:

Infrastructure & Roads

• Transfer and upgradation of the Ghatbankha–Dewdand (Dama) road in Godda district for widening and strengthening at ₹127.54 crore.

• Approval of ₹61.57 crore for widening the Digdhi Mor–Malin Risod Mor road in Sahibganj.

• Sanction of ₹64.06 crore for constructing a high-level bridge over the North Koel river on the Daltonganj–Chainpur road.

• A major ₹140.51 crore push for widening and strengthening the Bankutoli–Kurakura–Bano road in Gumla district, including land acquisition and utility shifting.

• The ambitious Sirmtoli Chowk–Rajendra Chowk–Mecon Roundabout four-lane flyover project in Ranchi received revised approval of ₹470.12 crore for a 2.34-km elevated corridor.

Governance & Administration

• 2026 public, restricted and bank holidays approved for all state departments.

• Reconstitution of the State Committee on Dam Safety under the Dam Safety Act, 2021.

• Post-facto approval for revising appointment dates and seniority of Vandana Bharti and Sushma Baraik for the Deputy Collector cadre.

• Daily-wage service periods will now be counted for retirement benefit calculations.

• Approval to table the CAG Performance Audit Report (No. 4, 2025) on minor mineral management in the next Assembly session.

Personnel Decisions

• Regularisation of Neera Kumari’s services with financial benefits.

• ACP/MACP financial dues approved for late Ram Bahadur Mochi, former peon.

• Dr Prabhu Sahay Linda (Sadar Hospital, Godda) relieved from service; Dr Anjana Gandhi (SB Medical College, Hazaribag) dismissed.

• Acceptance of the contributions of Dr Pushpalata.

Education & Welfare

• Teachers and non-teaching staff of affiliated Sanskrit colleges (Up-Shastri and Shastri courses) will now receive 5th, 6th and 7th Pay Commission benefits.

Environment & Conservation

• MoU approved with BNHS for the operation of the Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre, Muta.

Land & Mining

• ₹16.91 crore approved for leasing 41.965 acres of Gair Majrua Khas/Aam land to NTPC Ltd in Barkagaon, Hazaribag, for 30 years under the Badam Coal Mining Project.

• ₹12.86 crore approved for leasing 52.57 acres of forest land (Jungle-Jhari) in Mauza-Rudi, Barkagaon, to NTPC for the same project.

• Amendments cleared to the Articles of Association and by-laws of the Jharkhand Ecotourism Authority (JETA).

Political Context

The flurry of approvals comes during the winter session of the Assembly, where the Opposition is pushing the government over development delays and implementation gaps. The ruling alliance maintains that the new decisions reflect a renewed focus on infrastructure creation, transparency and welfare delivery.