Jharkhand cabinet on Wednesday decided to pay a commendation prize of Rs.1 lakh to each of the class 10 and 12 board exam toppers of Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC), CBSE and ICSE in a move aimed at encouraging meritorious children to perform better in academics, a press communique from the government stated.

“The award money will be given to the toppers of class 10 and class 12 from all the three boards, CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) and JAC,” said state personnel and administrative reforms secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh.

This year, more than seven lakh students appeared for the class 10 and 12 board exams under the three boards. As per the decision, the state will pay the award money to 12 toppers – three toppers of class 10 and nine toppers of class 12, comprising three toppers from science, arts and commerce from each board.

The cabinet on Wednesday also made not wearing a mask in public places a criminal offence under the Disaster Management Act and decided to slap a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh on the violators. Not wearing a mask could also lead to imprisonment of up to two years, the cabinet decided.

The decision, officials said, was taken in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic after Jharkhand saw an unprecedented rise in cases of infection in July. The count of Covid-19 cases has tripled in the state since June, and officials have held the lackadaisical approach of citizens responsible for the spike in cases.

The government on Wednesday also decided to launch a new logo of the Jharkhand government, which will be officially launched on Independence Day this year. The Cabinet gave its nod to more than 30 proposals on Wednesday, most of which were related to health machinery, rescue of migrant workers and fight against Covid-19 pandemic.