Cabinet nod to hike in bounty for arrest of extremists, criminals

Ranchi: The state cabinet, at a key meeting held on Thursday, approved a series of major decisions aimed at strengthening law enforcement and governance in the state. A major highlight was the decision to increase the reward amount for the arrest of notorious extremists and criminals. As per the revised policy, individuals with over 20 criminal cases registered against them will now carry a bounty ranging from ?20 to ?30 lakh. Similarly, those with at least three criminal cases will have a minimum bounty of ?2 lakh.

The cabinet also decided to allow investigating officers to retain their official mobile phones even after transfer or promotion, provided the details are registered on the e-Sakshya app. In administrative reforms, the cabinet granted post-facto approval to amendments made in the Jharkhand State Police Service Rules. Additionally, the tenure of 22 assistant engineers and 65 junior engineers, appointed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in the Rural Works Department, was extended for three more years, from 2024–25 to 2026–27.

Seven new One Stop Centers for women’s safety were approved for Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, and Hazaribagh. The cabinet also gave its nod to the Jharkhand Rural Drinking Water Supply Policy 2025. In a move to improve child nutrition and care in tribal regions, the government sanctioned the establishment and operation of 275 new Anganwadi centers in areas dominated by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Decisions were also taken on resolving long-pending service-related disputes and retirement issues of government employees. Amendments to the teacher transfer policy were approved, along with the formation of a screening committee for the appointment of resource persons for differently-abled children. The government granted permission to lease 0.70 acres of land in West Singhbhum for the construction of a State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) office.

A revised administrative approval of ?123.14 crore was also sanctioned for the widening and reconstruction of the 26.3-km Garhwa–Chinia road. The cabinet approved partial changes in the implementation of the blanket and clothing distribution scheme and formally concluded the current assembly session. Lastly, an amendment was passed in the Jharkhand Road Construction Contractor Registration Rules, 2008, making the submission of a GST registration certificate mandatory for contractors.