Ranchi: The state cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren, on Wednesday gave its approval to a proposal of cash reward for govt servants and informers (public) to curb illegal production, trade and peddling of narcotic substances.The incentives, applicable under the NDPS Act, 1985, will range from Rs 3,000 to over Rs 2 lakh, depending on factors such as the quantity and type of contraband seized, cabinet coordination department’s secretary Vandana Dadel said.A total of 39 proposals were taken up during Wednesday’s meeting concerning proposals from various departments.On the reward policy, Dadel said, “The cabinet approved it to encourage people to provide information regarding illegal production, trade and peddling of prohibited narcotic substances under the NDPS Act, 1985, and to motivate effective action against them.”She added that both govt employees and informers would be eligible for the reward. “The reward depends on various parameters, including the quantity and kind of substance, starting at Rs 3,000. The state-level reward committee will recommend rewards up to Rs 2 lakh, while the recommendation of the Narcotics Crime Bureau reward committee will be required for rewards above Rs 2 lakh,” she said.The cabinet also approved a 2% hike in dearness allowance (DA) for state employees to 60% from 58%. Dearness relief for pensioners was similarly increased to 60%, effective from Jan 1.The cabinet also approved a monthly pension of Rs 4,000 for elderly, seriously ill or permanently disabled artists. It also cleared a draft MoU with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for services at Dumka airport and sanctioned Rs 370.12 crore for an organic farming certification scheme from 2026-27 to 2030-31, covering 1.05 lakh hectares of land.“The certification of organic farming will be done in three phases — phase I from financial year 2026-27 to 2028-29, phase II from 2027-28 to 2029-30, and phase III from financial year 2028-29 to 2030-31 — covering 35,000 hectares in each phase. The cabinet gave its nod for release of Rs 42.87 crore for the first phase,” she said.
