The state cabinet on Thursday extended the term of one-member judicial inquiry commission, probing the Forbesganj police firing incident, by nine months from January 1, 2014.
It approved the home department’s proposal to extend the term of the inquiry commission from January 1, 2014, to September 30, 2014, cabinet secretary Brajesh Mehrotra told reporters.
The term of the one-member inquiry commission headed by Justice (rtd.) Madhavendra Sharan was coming to end on December 31.
The commission is probing the police firing incident at Bhajanpura village in Forbesganj sub-division of Araria district on June 3, 2011, killing five persons, including a minor, all belonging to the minority community. The cabinet had on June 7, 2011, gave its nod for a judicial probe into the police firing. The commission came into existence on June 30, 2011.
The cabinet also decided to set up modular operating theatres (OT) in 36 sadar hospitals across the state at an estimated cost of Rs 27 crore, Mehrotra said, adding that Rs 75 lakh would be spent on the construction of one modular OT. Stating that modular OT is almost infection-free, Mehrotra said.
Modular operating theatres are those in which all the equipment hang from the ceiling. This means that all the equipment do not have any connection with earth reducing the chances of infection by 90 per cent, health department sources said, adding that these OTs are sealed and air-conditioned.
It also approved the health department’s proposal to promote teachers, who have been working as associate professor in the TB and chest department of government medical colleges but were not given the promotion, the secretary said, adding that they would now be promoted to the rank of associate professors in the pay scale of Rs 15600-Rs 39100 (grade pay-Rs 7600).
The cabinet also sanctioned Rs 97 crore to implement the “doorstep scheme” under which foodgrain would be delivered at the public distribution system (PDS) shops from godowns of State Food Corporation.
The funds have been sanctioned for the current fiscal year and the scheme would be implemented from January 2014 under the targeted public distribution system.
