Ranchi, April 11: The state cabinet today resolved to charge only one per cent VAT on aviation fuel from aircraft making night halts at Jharkhand airports, but decided to stick to a 4 per cent rate for other aircraft.
Cabinet coordination department secretary S.S. Meena argued that the decision would go long way in improving air connectivity. "Different airlines may prefer halting at night at Birsa Munda airport for refilling their aircraft. This, in turn, will enable us to avail of flights from and to various cities late at night or early morning," he explained.
The cabinet also decided to upgrade 65 primary and middle schools run by the welfare department across the state to secondary schools. In all, 726 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff have been sanctioned to run these schools.
While 54 such schools are meant for children belonging to Scheduled Tribes, the remaining 11 are for children belonging to Scheduled Castes. All these are residential schools. In another decision, 42 posts of officials of various ranks were sanctioned to run a tuberculosis training and demonstration centre in Ranchi.
The cabinet also decided to:
• Include sub-castes of Giri-Gusai community in the Other Backward Community Annexure II list, subject to approval by the Centre;
• Amend loan rules by virtue of which the ownership of houses built by MLAs, either in their own names or in the name of their spouses after securing loan from the government, would remain with the state government till the outstanding loan is settled;
• Waive VAT on purchases at BSF and CRPF canteens
• Waive VAT for Yogda Satsang Society when it buys computers, LED lights, et al from the open market;
• Okay the transfer of 1.949 acre land in Godda revenue circle for the Godda-Hansdiha rail project;
• Approve Jharkhand Urban Local Body Publicity Regulation-2017 to enable municipal bodies to take up more publicity campaigns.