Lok Sabha polls on the horizon, new CMs focus on welfare push: All that they have announced

The new state Cabinets of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana have got into business over the past month, taking key decisions ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls. Most announcements have been on the implementation of poll promises.

Since coming to power, the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government in Rajasthan has held only one Cabinet meeting. In the meeting on January 18, the government announced it would review the decisions taken in the last six months of the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. The government set up a ministerial committee that will submit a report to the CM in three months.

Additionally, the BJP’s Assembly polls manifesto was also adopted as a policy document. To ensure its execution, an Officer on Special Duty will be appointed to the Chief Minister’s Office.

In another decision, pension for detainees during the Emergency – the payment was discontinued in 2019 – will be resumed. The beneficiaries will get Rs 20,000 as pension and Rs 4,000 in medical aid each month.

In the meeting, a comprehensive presentation was also made on the 100-day action plan of the state government. A separate presentation was made on the achievements of the government in its first 30 days such as the implementation of the policy to provide LPG at a subsidised price of Rs 450 per cylinder, and the creation of a Special Investigation Team and an Anti-Gangster Task Force to check paper leaks and organised crime, respectively. The Cabinet also noted that between December 16 and January 17, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra camps and programmes were held at 10,550 locations across the state, with 2.54 crore citizens and 1.77 lakh public representatives registering their presence.

The Cabinet also noted that