Cabinet meeting: Setting up biogas plans in Bihar gets easier

The new policy, apart from other incentives, seeks to offer a capital subsidy of 15% or the maximum of ₹5 crore to the investors.

Setting up compressed biogas plants in Bihar is set to get easier with the state cabinet on Tuesday approving the Bihar Biofuel Production Promotion Policy 2023.

CM Nitish Kumar chaired the cabinet meeting. (HT)

The policy, apart from other incentives, seeks to offer a capital subsidy of 15% or the maximum of ₹5 crore to the investors, said additional chief secretary (cabinet) S Siddharth.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar, Siddharth said the validity of the state ethanol policy 2022 has been extended till June 30, 2024, which means the entrepreneurs willing to invest in setting up of ethanol production units could avail the capital subsidy from the state government.

“The new policy will be valid for establishment of compressed bio gas from wastes and other foodgrains. While the common people will be getting 15% capital subsidy, women, people from scheduled castes/scheduled tribes, extremely backward classes, etc, will get capital subsidy of 15.75% or the maximum of ₹5.25 crore from the state government,” said Siddharth.

Additional chief secretary (industries) Sandeep Poundrik said the department brought in the policy as various oil companies were encouraging production of biofuel from organic materials, foodgrains and other things.

The cabinet also approved six other proposals from various departments, said Siddharth.

Overseas medical students can intern with state colleges

Among them is a health department’s proposal to allow internship for students pursuing medical degree courses in other countries. “Those studying in foreign countries and enrolling with the State Medical Council for internship in the government medical colleges would be entitled for the monetary incentive,” said the ACS, adding that the provision for medical internship had to be revised owing to disruption in studies of medical students in other countries during the Covid pandemic.

A policy to appoint public prosecutors

The state cabinet also approved the policy for appointment of public prosecutors on various posts, including at district courts, the high court and the Supreme Court. “A panel of district magistrates and district judges will recommend the names of advocates for appointment at the district level courts. The committee, headed by the advocate general and comprising of law secretary, will scrutinise the recommendations and finalise the appointments of public persecutors (PP), additional PP, government pleaders, additional advocate general, etc,” said Siddharth, adding that the policy also details about the roles and duties of each position and the procedures to remove them.

Govt turns lens on deposit schemes

In a bid to check incidences of forgery in the name of saving schemes, the state cabinet approved the rules framed by the finance department under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019, to regulate the micro financial institutions engaged in running small deposit schemes. The rules empower the state government to check, audit and act against any firm in case of irregularities in collection and disbursement of the saving fund.