Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Announces New Commission for Displaced People After Cabinet Expansion

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], July 8: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced on Monday that a new commission will be formed to address the needs of people displaced by large-scale mining activities in the state. This decision came after a cabinet expansion and a meeting of ministers.

Hemant Soren stated, “Today cabinet expansion has taken place. We had a meeting as well. Tomorrow onwards everyone will start their work…a lot of mining activities happen here…but no policies were there with the government for the people who are affected by it. Today we have decided to make a commission for them.”

He further explained that Jharkhand has 40% of the country’s mineral reserves, but there has been no proper policy for displaced individuals. The new commission will conduct a socioeconomic survey and create a database to understand the impact of mining activities.

During the meeting, other ministers also shared their plans. Dipika Pandey Singh emphasized the importance of supporting farmers, stating, “Farmers are the backbone of our state’s economy. How can they get maximum benefits, this will be an important topic. Waiving off loans will be our flagship programme.”

Baidyanath Ram highlighted the focus on developing the education sector, while Mithilesh Kumar Thakur discussed efforts to provide clean drinking water to 61 lakh houses under the Nal Jal Yojana.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, who resigned on July 3, took oath as a minister in the new cabinet. Hemant Soren, who was released from jail on June 28, won the floor test in the state assembly and was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4.

Hemant Soren’s return as CM is expected to strengthen the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, JMM, in alliance with Congress and RJD, secured a comfortable majority in the assembly elections.