Ranchi, Sept 30 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday asked officials to fast-track land acquisition which was impacting big-ticket projects, and said Rs 1,200 crore compensation amount for land was lying with banks.

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Chairing a meeting with senior officials for reviewing the implementation of projects, Soren said a slew of measures was needed for creating jobs, facilitating industries, promoting agriculture, and checking illicit trade of opium cultivation besides expediting development schemes, a statement issued by the state government said.

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Asking officials to dispose of cases pertaining to the Department of Revenue, Registration, and Land Reforms on war-footing, the chief minister said many big projects are getting delayed due to non-acquisition of land.

He also directed the officials to compile a list of pending cases in the court and execute them on a priority basis.

They were urged to encourage the cultivation of medicinal plants and lemongrass and discourage the illegal cultivation of opium during the review meeting of the Home Department.

In some districts, opium cultivation is being done illegally on a large scale which is a matter of concern and police officials should immediately check it, the chief minister said.

Director-General of Police Neeraj Sinha said in the last three years, a total of 372 cases of narcotics have come to the fore, and 576 people have been arrested.

Reviewing the projects under the Department of Mines, Soren asked officials to check illegal mining to prevent revenue loss.

The officials said Rs 7,693 crore has been received under the District Mineral Foundation Trust fund in the last six years, out of which Rs 3,120 crore has been spent in various schemes.

While reviewing the schemes under Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Cooperation Department, Soren expressed displeasure over the slow pace of issuance of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to farmers and asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that every farmer should have a Kisan Credit Card by March 31, 2022.

He asked the Deputy Commissioners to hold periodic meetings with bank managements to remove bottlenecks, if any, and give the benefit of KCC to the farmers.

Besides, he directed officials to ensure the availability of urea and other fertilizers and proper implementation of the livestock development scheme.

Objecting to the slow pace of the construction of cold storage facilities in the state, he asked officials to expedite the same.

During the review of the Rural Development Department, Soren asked officials to implement MGNREGA schemes in a better manner.

Women should be provided with respectable livelihood and local brands manufactured by them should be promoted in government buildings like circuit houses, state-run schools, prisons, and government offices.

During the review of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Minorities, and Backward Classes Department, he said the number of students for scholarship schemes should be increased.

Departmental Secretary K K Soan told the chief minister that 16.35 lakh students were admitted for scholarship under pre-matric scholarship last year, whereas 8.85 lakh students have been admitted so far this year.

Regarding the Scheduled Tribes Scheduled Castes Act, the chief minister said that the committee should be reconstituted at the district level and funds should be made available.

Necessary instructions were also given to the districts regarding the availability of land for Eklavya schools.

Soren told the Energy Department that the promotion of solar power plants is the priority of the government.

For the Tilaiya Ultra Mega Power Project, he asked officials to complete the work of land acquisition in Koderma and Hazaribag districts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)