Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai chaired a key Cabinet meeting at Mantralaya here on Friday. The Cabinet made several pivotal decisions impacting various sectors across the state.

The meeting introduced significant reforms, including amendments to agricultural laws and changes in urban land management, aimed at enhancing efficiency and support throughout Chhattisgarh..

A landmark decision aimed at benefiting farmers was the Cabinet’s approval of amendments to the Chhattisgarh Agricultural Produce Market Act.

The amendment will now allow traders and processors registered with other state market boards or committees to trade agricultural produce through the e-NAM portal without requiring additional registration.

Operated by the Government of India, the e-NAM portal is designed to provide Chhattisgarh’s farmers and sellers with optimal pricing for their produce.

The amendment also introduces a change in terminology from “market fee” to “market fee and farmer welfare fee,” with a new requirement for 10 percent of the market board’s gross annual income to be deposited into the Chhattisgarh State Farmer Welfare Fund. This fund will be used to support various farmer welfare activities as outlined by the rules.

The Cabinet also approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Appropriation Bill, 2024. This move facilitates the presentation of the first supplementary estimate for the fiscal year 2024-2025 in the Legislative Assembly, enabling necessary budgetary adjustments.

The Cabinet also took major steps to reform urban land management in the state. Several previous directives and circulars regarding government land allocation, management of encroached land, and granting of ownership rights have been annulled. These include:

– The circular issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department on September 11, 2019

– The circular from October 26, 2019, concerning permanent leases

– The circular from May 20, 2020, related to converting permanent leasehold lands into ownership rights in Nazul areas

– The circular from February 24, 2024, regarding urban land allocation and ownership rights

New measures will include publishing information about land allocations on the Revenue Department’s website and addressing any objections or complaints through the Divisional Commissioner.

In line with recent GST Council decisions, the Cabinet also approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2024. This amendment aligns with provisions related to the Input Service Distributor and the registration of machinery used in the production of items such as pan masala and gutkha, mirroring changes to the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.

The Cabinet authorized the General Administration Department to present the 22nd Annual Report of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission, covering the period from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, before the Legislative Assembly.