On Thursday, the Bhajan Lal government held its first cabinet meeting. In this meeting, a decision to review all the decisions of the Congress government in the last six months was taken. A committee will be formed for this review.
This committee will review all the decisions and submit its report to the Chief Minister within three months. Several ministers will be included in this committee. The committee will primarily review the administrative decisions and decisions made during the code of conduct in the last six months of the Congress government.
Along with this, in the cabinet meeting, approval was given to consider the BJP’s resolution for the 2023 state elections as a policy document of the state government. Along with this, a decision was made to appoint a special officer in the Chief Minister’s office for the implementation of the resolution.
In the meeting, a decision was also made to revive the Rajasthan Loktantra Senani Honour Fund-2008. This pension amount will be given to MISA prisoners. The previous state government had discontinued it.
With its reintroduction, democracy soldiers who go to jail for the protection of democracy during emergencies will again receive a pension. Under this decision, democracy soldiers will be provided with a monthly pension of Rs. 20,000 and medical assistance of Rs. 4,000.
A comprehensive presenta
tion was given in the meeting on the 100-day action plan of the state government. A detailed presentation was also made.
In the meeting, discussions were held on important issues related to the RAS recruitment exam, MSP on wheat crops, and others related to public interest.
During the recent cabinet meeting, several notable achievements were highlighted in the state of Rajasthan.
Kitchen Gas Cylinder Subsidy Scheme: which came into effect on January 1, 2024, under the Rajasthan Sankalp Patra -2023, is providing LP gas cylinders to women from economically disadvantaged families at a subsidized rate of Rs. 450.
Shri Annapurna Rasoi Yojana: operational since January 6, has increased the quantity of food items in each plate from 450 to 600 grams.
Establishment of SIT: The cabinet meeting also acknowledged the establishment of a Special Investigation Team on December 16 to expedite investigations and take strict action against culprits in cases of paper leaks and related matters. Additionally, an Anti-Gangster Task Force was formed on the same day to effectively control organized crimes in the state and take stringent action against criminals.
CBI no longer requires state government’s permission: This will allow the CBI to take effective action against corruption in the state.
Formation of Joint Inspection Team: To combat illegal mining, excavation, and storage, a joint inspection team supervised by district collectors will conduct a rigorous campaign from January 15 to January 31.
Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra: Programs were organized in 10,550 gram panchayats and urban locations from December 16 to January 17, involving more than 2.54 crore citizens, including 1.77 lakh representatives and officials.
Various health benefits: Health check-ups for over 1.58 crore individuals were conducted in camps, including 1.78 lakh tests for sickle cell anaemia. Furthermore, registrations were done for over 5.30 lakh individuals in PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and more than 2.91 lakh individuals in PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. Additionally, 47.60 lakh Ayushman Bharat cards and over 10 lakh farmer credit cards were issued.
PM Modi’s promise not yet been fulfilled by the BJP govt
There were high hopes among the public from the first cabinet of the Bhajan Lal government in Rajasthan. The first expectation was that VAT would be reduced on petrol and diesel, resulting in lower prices. This was because during the election campaign on November 18, 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bharatpur and Nagaur districts, addressing crowds in the lakhs. On this occasion, PM Modi had said that petrol and diesel are very expensive in Rajasthan. When the BJP government is formed here, a review will be conducted to reduce their prices. In this context, people felt that the government would make a significant decision from the first cabinet.
Just before the assembly elections, during the election campaign, the BJP had made the prices of petrol and diesel and crime big issues. The government has initiated several efforts to control crime. However, the government has not taken any steps on the issue of petrol and diesel so far. It should be noted that in Ganganagar, Rajasthan, the prices of petrol and diesel are the highest. Diesel is selling at Rs. 98.24 per litre, and petrol is selling at Rs. 113.48 per litre.
Pumps have been closed on the border with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for a long time, the Petroleum Dealers Association has also been demanding a reduction in VAT on petrol and diesel. They say that petrol is cheaper in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh than in Rajasthan. Due to this, most petrol pumps on the border with these two states in Rajasthan have been closed. Petrol pump operators in Congress-ruled Rajasthan also went on strike.
RAS Mains Exam gets extension amidst RU student’s protests
On Thursday, the state government took note of the agitation by the aspirants, which has been going on for the last 10 days at the main gate of the Rajasthan University, demanding the extension of the examination date.
According to the information received, the Bhajan Lal Cabinet has approved the extension of the RAS Mains Exam date on Thursday. Now, this examination will be conducted in June or July. Meanwhile, the students protesting have expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister.
The RPSC scheduled the RAS Mains Exam for January 27-28, and aspirants argue that they have been given only three months for the preparation of the main exam after the prelims, whereas at least six months should be given for the RAS Mains Exam preparation. Now, the Bhajan Lal government has postponed the exam until June-July and the RPSC will announce the new dates soon.