Ranchi, Mar 18 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday said the government has set its priorities ensuring social security for every citizen, food to every household, quality education to children and better healthcare facilities for all.
He said in the assembly that his government made every effort in all possible ways to safeguard the rights of marginalised, tribals and indigenous people and stood by them.
“We have set our priorities as ensuring social security for every citizen, food in every home, quality education for children, and better healthcare facilities for all. These are all the main dramas of every welfare government,” Soren said on the last day of the budget session.
The CM said the state’s budget size was mere Rs 86,000 crore when his first alliance government came to power, and now it has reached to Rs 1.58 lakh crore (fiscal 2026-27), a jump of 85 per cent.
“This is the result of the government’s better management plan. Jharkhand was at the 13th position in financial management in the country in 2018, and now it is at the third position. Even NITI-Aayog appreciates Jharkhand’s financial management,” Soren said.
The chief minister said a slew of welfare schemes have been launched and many are in the pipeline for development of people in the state.
He claimed the financial assistance scheme for women, ‘Maiyan Samman Yojana’, of the state government has become an example, and it is being discussed at the national level.
“Over 50 lakh women are getting benefits of the scheme, and Rs 20 crore has been transferred to their accounts so far. The government has allocated the maximum share of its budget of Rs 34,000 crore to women and children for the next fiscal,” he said.
“We are working on a scheme to provide capital incentives of up to Rs 5 crore for starting micro-enterprises,” the CM added.
Speaking about universal pension schemes, Soren said merely 12-13 lakh people used to get pension when his government came to power in 2019, and now the number of beneficiaries has increased to 36 lakh in the state.
The CM said that for the development of education, 100 new CM School of Excellence, girls’ schools, Jharkhand Institute of Technology, 12 new degree colleges, engineering colleges, a mega library of 500-seat capacity in every district headquarters and Dr Bhimraon University in Chatra will be established.
“In line with the ideals of Dishom Guru (ex-CM Shibu Soren) and his thinking on higher education, we will launch the GuruJi Sustainable Scholarship Scheme. Under it, every year, a total of 10 youth from various categories will be supported for PhD programmes,” he said.
Assistance will also be provided for research in prestigious London-based institutions, including Oxford University and Cambridge University, the CM added.
Strengthening the mutual partnership between the UK and Jharkhand, an extensive ‘knowledge corridor’ for the youth will be developed. Under this initiative, the government will send 50 students from the state’s deprived and marginalised communities each year for higher education through the overseas scholarship, Soren said.
He said a Guruji Memorial will also be established, which will be developed as an inclusive tribal-cultural campus.
The megalith and monolith sites in 35 locations in the state will be developed, besides the fossil park in Sahibganj, the CM said.
Soren further added Jharkhand Rajya Sulabh Sahayata Yojana will be introduced to help the migrant labourers working in different parts of the country and abroad. Besides, centres for Jharkhand migrant workers will be established in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Condemning the VB-G RAM G scheme, he said Jharkhand assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday to continue with MGNREGA.
“MGNREGA has been a lifeline for crores of labourers in Jharkhand. In the country, Jharkhand’s labourers were receiving the lowest wages. When no efforts were made to increase the wage rates, we increased it further,” Soren said.
He claimed that the new changes that have come in the new Act will definitely have a negative impact on the lives of the poor and the deprived.
“It will increase migration and malnutrition, against which we were struggling,” Soren said, adding that the state’s Rs 1,000 crore is pending with the Centre under MGNREGA head.
He also lashed out at the Centre over the alleged shortage of LPG in the country.
The budget session of the assembly, which started on February 18, was adjourned sine die on Wednesday by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato. PTI SAN NN
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