Ranchi, Oct. 7: The governor’s advisory council today resolved to create a new sub-division of Mahuadand in rebel-hit Latehar district. Mahuadand and Garu blocks will make up the new sub-division.

The move aims at ensuring good governance in rebel den. These places, located 165km from the district headquarters in Latehar, also lie on the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border. Poor villagers have covered this distance quite often, even for small work.

The creation of a new subdivision will not only speed up disposal of long pending cases, but also bring the poor villagers closer to the official machinery. Cabinet secretary Aditya Swaroop said that a notification to this effect will be issued after securing the approval of the high court.

Rules have been amended for the execution of Integrated Housing Slum Development Programme, applicable to all the cities in the state, except Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur. In the first phase, Gumla, Medininagar (Daltonganj), Chaibasa, Lohardaga, Phusro, Giridih and Hazaribagh have been taken up.

Over 7,868 housing units are being built in these places. The related infrastructure-development components too will be taken up under this scheme.

Beneficiaries will build single-storied houses themselves and multi-storied buildings and other infrastructure development components will be built through open tenders.

To promote integrated farming in the state, Rs 16.82 crore was approved under the Mukhya Mantri Kisan Khushhali Yojana. This scheme was introduced last fiscal and Rs 14 crore was allotted under it. In the current fiscal, the deputy commissioners will have to identify two new clusters dominated by small and marginal farmers, SCs, STs, backward classes and minorities.

The project will be executed through self-help groups, where at least 30 per cent of the members ought to be women. The clusters will also have two committed volunteers (Krishi Mitra) in the 25-40 age group. Over Rs 15 lakh will be spent in each of the clusters.

Jharkhand Infrastructure Development Authority has been made the consultant for preparing detailed project reports, tender progress and project monitoring under the Jharkhand State Rural Development Authority. The road construction department will now build roads linking Lohardaga with Sikni via Kisku and Hunterganj with Pratapur via Pandeypura. Earlier these roads were to be built by the rural engineering organisation.

The rural development department will now decide the roles of different bodies, including the RMC in the beautification of the state capital. Gearing up to host the 34th National Games, the advisory council had earlier approved Rs 10 crore. Today, specific allocations under different heads were decided.

The dearness allowance of such state employees who have not availed the revised pay scale was raised from 64 per cent to 73 per cent. Similarly the dearness allowance of pensioners and beneficiaries of family pension scheme too have been raised from 22 to per cent to 27 per cent. The revised allowances will be effective from July 1, 2009.

The district welfare officers will now buy bicycles for BPL, SC, ST, OBC and minority categories school children through tenders. Earlier the tribal welfare commissioner made these purchases.

Complying by the apex court’s order on sharing of assets and liabilities of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation, it was decided to give Rs 47 crore to the Bihar government against staff liabilities. The Bihar government has already released Rs 97 crore.