November 22: Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel chaired the cabinet meeting today at his residence office, and following important decisions were taken in the meeting:-

• Taking a major decision in the interest of common people, Cabinet has decided to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel. As per the decision, VAT on diesel will be reduced by 2% and the VAT on petrol will be reduced by 1%, which would cause the loss of revenue worth Rs one thousand crore to State Government.

• Providing a major relief to the Shikshakarmis, Cabinet has slackened the provisions of promotion for the teachers cadre. Relaxing the 5-year experience mandate of the departmental recruitment rules for promotion to the posts of headmaster, primary school, teacher and lecturer, Cabinet has decided to provide promotion based on 3 years of experience.

• Cabinet has decided to resume the regular classes in government and private schools of the state, under the School Education Department, with full attendance and strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol.

• Cabinet has decided to implement the amendments and the new recommendations of Cabinet Sub-Committee for paddy and corn procurement at support price, along with the Paddy and Corn Procurement and Custom Milling Policy of Kharif Markting Year 2020-21 in Kharif year 2021-22.

• Cabinet has decided to revalidate the government guarantee of Rs 14,700 crore, which was provided to Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation, Ltd for procurement of paddy and custom milling for the Kharif marketing year 2020-21, till 31 October 2022.

• Cabinet has decided to provide one-time compensation aid to cooperative societies to strengthen them financially and to help them overcome the losses incurred in the paddy procurement year 2020-21.

• Cabinet has decided to ratify the decision taken in the sub-committee meeting to auction the surplus paddy procured in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21. Fuel Prices Get Cheaper in Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel Govt Announces Reduction of VAT on Petrol by 1% and Diesel by 2%.

• Cabinet has decided to cancel the remaining paddy of the custom milling contract in year kharif year 2019-20 and to waive off the proposed penalty thereon.

• Cabinet has decided to fill the posts of Professor and Associate Professor in Government Medical Colleges, Dental College, Nursing College and Physiotherapy College of Chhattisgarh via direct recruitment through Public Service Commission and to give one-time relaxation in promotion rules.

Besides, Cabinet has also decided to provide relaxation of upto 10 years on the age limit to the contractual teachers in the government colleges of the state and to give 2 bonus marks for each year of service. The maximum limit of bonus points will be up to 10.

• Relaxing the minimum experience mandate under Chhattisgarh Health and Family Welfare (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rule-1988 for just once, Cabinet has decided that the minimum experience required for the promotion of Medical Officers to the post of Medical Specialists under Directorate of Health Services would be two years.

• In the meeting held today, Cabinet has slackened the rules of height and chest measurement for the male candidates of Scheduled Tribes for the recruitment on the vacant posts of Subedar, Sub-Inspector Cadre, Platoon Commander Selection Test 2021.

• Cabinet has approved the decision to relax the validity period of the waiting list issued for direct recruitment to the post of Rural Horticulture Extension Officer for one time.

• To give preference to the localites for recruitment on vacant Grade III and IV category posts in scheduled areas of the state, under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution, Cabinet has decided to extend the time-limit for the provisions under recruitment rules from 31 December 2021 to 31 December 2023.

• Cabinet has decided to extend the tenure of Special Junior Staff Selection Board from 31 December 2021 to 31 December 2023. This board has been constituted to recruit the local residents on the district cadre vacancies of Grade III and IV in the districts falling under Bastar and Sarguja divisions and Korba district of Bilaspur division.

• The decision was approved to recruit local residents on the existing and arising divisional-level vacancies of Grade-III & IV posts in Sarguja and Bastar divisions.

• Decision has been taken regarding the distribution of dividend and the compensation of loss due to the trade of forest produce collected and processed under Minimum Support Price Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Van-Dhan Yojana, other schemes.

• Amendment in purchase policy of private land for industrial purpose was approved by Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (CSIDC) with mutual consent.

• Decision has been taken to resolve the discrepancies in the State Industrial Policy 2001-06, 2004-09, 2009-14 regarding exemption of electricity duty and the notifications issued by the departments in this regard.

• The draft of the Chhattisgarh Goods and Services Tax Act (Amendment) Bill-2021 was approved. Chhattisgarh ‘Cleanest State of India’ for the Third Time in Row, CM Bhupesh Baghel Receives ‘Swachhta Award’.

• Cabinet has decided to withdraw the State Block Guarantee of Rs 38.52 crore and to waive the guarantee fee by March 31, 2022, for obtaining loans from national corporations in the financial year 2021-22 for Chhattisgarh Antyavsayi Sahkari Vitt Avam Vikas Nigam.

• Ex-post facto approval was given for the formation of a two-member judicial inquiry commission to investigate the Naxalite incident that took place on May 25, 2013 in Jheeram Ghati area under Darbha police station of district Bastar.

• Decision was taken to implement Price Support Scheme (PSS) for procurement of pulses crop from Kharif season 2022-23 under Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan.

• The draft of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertising and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Chhattisgarh Amendment Bill-2021 was approved for effective action against hookah bars in the state.

• Cabinet has decided to allot land at the rate of Re 1 per square foot for the public utility works of urban bodies.

• Cabinet has decided to re-implement the one-time settlement scheme-2020 for the arrears of tax on motor vehicles before and after the formation of the state of Chhattisgarh. The period of one time settlement scheme will be from September 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

• Validity of the special relief package announced by state government to provide exemption in energy charges to the steel industries in the financial year 2020-21, which ends on 31 March 2021, has been extended till July 2021.