The Hemant Soren cabinet has cleared a new industrial policy for Jharkhand with the aim of creating five lakh jobs by attracting investments to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore and also sanctioned a bonus for contractual healthcare workers for their service during the pandemic.

Titled, Jharkhand Industrial and Investment Policy (JIPP)- 2021, the new document, cabinet secretary Vandana Dadel said on Tuesday, would phase out the exiting policy framed during the term of the former BJP goverment headed by Raghubar Das.

"The focus of the new policy is to churn out investments to the tune of 1 lakh crore and 5 lakh jobs,” she said.

Dadel said the new policy has identified five high-priority and eight priority sectors to attract investments. The high priority sectors include textile and apparel, automobile and auto components, agro and meat processing and allied units, pharmaceuticals and electronics, design & manufacturing (EDM).

Priority sectors comprise start-ups, healthcare, education, tourism, IT and IT- enabled services, renewable energy, among others.

On incentives to investors, she said, “For the first time, fiscal incentives have been introduced for ‘early birds’ and anchor units who will be given capital subsidy between 5-25% on projects and investments. Other incentives include a comprehensive project investment subsidy, stamp duty subsidy, assistance for quality certification and patent registration, reimbursement of state GST, interest subsidy, among others. Private universities and healthcare institutions too will receive the subsidies.”

In another significant decision, the state cabinet also sanctioned a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary to all contractual employees engaged in Covid-19 work on a one-time basis. Dadel said the government would be spending close to Rs 16 crore for this.

The cabinet also okayed hiring of medical staff across hospitals and medical colleges for a period of six months on contract in view of a manpower crunch. On remunerations, she said, “For final year PG students, Rs 3500/per/shift honorarium is fixed. For MBBS, it will be 2,000/per/shift, Rs 1,200 for final year MBBS, Rs 500 for B.Sc nursing, among others.”

Keeping in mind that competitive exams could not be held because of the pandemic, the cabinet granted a one-time approval for admission to B.ED colleges in the state through merit list prepared on the basis of marks obtained at the graduation level. “Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board has been made the nodal agency to work out modalities for admission without entrance test,” she said.

A proposal to launch a new scheme titled, Guru-Shishya Parampara, mooted by the state art and culture department to conserve dying art forms was also approved by the cabinet. In all, the state cabinet took up six proposals at Tuesday's meeting.