Ranchi, Aug 25: The Jharkhand Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Tuesday approved a series of major proposals covering education, healthcare, infrastructure, rural employment, policing, disaster management and government services.Among the key decisions, the Cabinet approved the Viksit Bharat-Rozgar and Ajeevika Guarantee Mission (Gramin) for the state, aimed at strengthening employment and livelihood opportunities in rural areas.
The government also approved the development of 100 additional schools as Chief Minister Schools of Excellence, in addition to 80 schools already functioning under the Adarsh Vidyalaya scheme. An administrative sanction of around Rs 721.43 crore was approved for the initiative.In the health sector, the Cabinet cleared an expenditure of around Rs 393.91 crore for strengthening and upgrading MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur, with provisions for increasing MBBS seats, introducing new postgraduate disciplines and increasing PG seats.
A similar proposal involving approximately Rs 495.03 crore was approved for Shaheed Nirmal Mahato Medical College, Dhanbad. The Cabinet also approved a separate Rs 275.18 crore project from the Dhanbad District Mineral Foundation Trust for comprehensive redevelopment of the medical college and teaching hospital, including increasing existing undergraduate capacity from 100 to 250 seats.The Cabinet approved a new scheme to provide up to 10 free oxo-biodegradable sanitary napkins every month to girls studying in Classes 6 to 12 in government schools.
The programme has been sanctioned at a cost of approximately Rs 124.38 crore.It also approved nearly Rs 73.67 crore for providing bilingual parental calendars to primary school students and around Rs 27.87 crore for student diaries for students of Classes 6 to 8 in government and government-aided schools.In another education-related decision, the Cabinet approved the Jharkhand Student Research and Innovation Policy, 2026, aimed at encouraging research and innovation among students in higher and technical education institutions.The state government also approved the establishment of Jharkhand Girls Residential Schools in five newly created blocks, with an administrative sanction of nearly Rs 49.99 crore for construction of the buildings.
In policing, the Cabinet approved a revised sanction of Rs 90 crore for installation of 9,006 CCTV cameras in 606 police stations across the state during 2026-27. The decision follows Supreme Court directions regarding CCTV surveillance in police stations.The Cabinet also approved the establishment of open and semi-open barracks at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar, Ranchi, and central jails in Dumka, Ghaghidih and Hazaribag.Several road infrastructure projects were also cleared.
These include strengthening work on the Asura-Kumardungi via Balandia road in the Chaibasa division at a cost of around Rs 29.87 crore, improvement of riding quality on the Hazaribag-Katkamsandi-Chatra road at around Rs 25.53 crore, and strengthening and widening of the Pindi-Giru-Gudri road in Manoharpur at an estimated cost of Rs 114.01 crore.The Cabinet further approved around Rs 56.85 crore for construction of the Barlanga-Gola-Muri road in Ramgarh and around Rs 30.46 crore for widening and strengthening the Barganda Chowk-College More road in Giridih.
For Dhanbad, the Cabinet approved a proposal to develop and beautify Topchanchi Lake and adjoining areas through the Public-Private Partnership model under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer framework. The technically approved project cost is around Rs 184.29 crore.The government also approved the Jharkhand Rural Bridge Maintenance Policy-2025 to provide a structured framework for the maintenance and repair of bridges constructed under the Rural Works Department.
On disaster management, the Cabinet decided to remove lightning and heatwave from the state’s list of specific local disasters after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs included both in the list of recognised natural disasters. It also approved amendments to existing resolutions concerning natural and local disasters.The Cabinet approved the transfer of around 3.43 acres of government land in Baliyapur block of Dhanbad to Steel Authority of India Limited for the Tasra Open Cast Coal Mining Project.
The land will be used for rehabilitation and resettlement of families displaced by the project.Several decisions concerning government employees were also approved. These included regularisation of certain employees and former contractual workers, retrospective promotions and financial benefits for eligible officers, and payment of salary differences in cases where employees had worked in higher posts under current-charge arrangements.
The Cabinet also approved the Jharkhand Court Fees Bill, 2026, paving the way for repeal of the Court Fees Act, 1870 in the state.In the health services, the Cabinet approved rules for contractual appointment of doctors and specialist doctors against vacant posts in government hospitals and health centres.
It also approved reducing the retirement age of non-teaching doctors and specialist doctors in the Jharkhand Health Service from 67 years to 65 years.The Cabinet approved the creation of a District Judge-level post for a newly established special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in Chatra district.
It also approved a revised agreement with NIH Roorkee for preparation of a State Specific Action Plan for the water sector under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.Among other decisions, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Guruji Student Credit Card Scheme, changes in the Jharkhand Grassroots Innovation Internship Scheme and the return of certain application fees and endowment amounts deposited by promoters of private universities under the earlier model guidelines.
The Cabinet also approved regulations governing the issuance of municipal No-Objection Certificates to food business operators involved in the manufacture, processing, storage and sale of meat and meat products.
Overall, the decisions taken at the meeting covered major investments in education, healthcare, roads, water supply, policing and social welfare, along with a number of administrative and legal measures aimed at strengthening governance and implementing court directions.
