Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Addresses Saranda Sanctuary Concerns Ahead of Supreme Court Hearing

Ranchi: Ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the issue of declaring Saranda Sanctuary in West Singhbhum, chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said while govt is working to declare the sanctuary in the wake of apex court’s order, it is also actively working on plans to ensure that the tribals and those dependent on forests don’t face existential crisis.Notably, the state govt has to file its response over the Supreme Court order to declare the sanctuary. A proposal in this regard was taken up in the cabinet meeting headed by Hemant on Tuesday but sources said that discussions about it were still underway to maintain a balance and a concrete decision wasn’t taken.Talking to reporters, Hemant said, “Tomorrow, we have to file a reply in the Supreme Court. So, we discussed the Saranda proposal and it was agreed that first of all, forest dwellers and tribals who are solely dependent on the Saranda forest, and those who saved the forests of Saranda since ages, don’t face existential crisis.

As it is, tribals have felt cheated due to various issues for years. Out govt is trying to ensure how we can connect them with welfare measures and that displacement don’t happen even after it becomes a sanctuary.

”A total of 24 proposals were taken up in Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. In a decision, the council of ministers has gave its nod for a hike in the dearness allowance (DA) of its employees to 58% ahead of Diwali. The dearness relief (DR) for pensioners has also been increased by 3% and has now reached 58%. Earlier, employees and pensioners were given 55% DA and DR. The hike will be in retrospective effect from July 1. Officials said the move will benefit three lakh state govt employees and pensioners.The abinet also approved Rs 103.5 crore for 207 advanced life support (ALS) ambulances to strengthen healthcare services in remote areas, Rs 78.50 crore for the purchase of 628 four-wheelers and 849 two-wheelers for the police.