NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to set a fixed tenure of three years for the post of Cabinet Secretary and two years for the posts of Home Secretary, Defence Secretary, the Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Bureau and the Secretary, Research and Analysis Wing.

Announcing this, Union Minister and Cabinet spokesperson Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the new norms would be applicable for new appointees. They may be given further extension if considered necessary. The incumbents may also be considered for extension of tenure.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also met on Thursday and cleared a Rs. 5,000-crore-a-year Backward Regions Grant Fund that would cover 250 districts across the country to remove regional disparities and inequalities among various income groups.

A key feature of the scheme would be that funds would be provided only if there were proper district plans and there was active participation of the Panchayati Raj institutions. The district plans would have to be approved at the State level by high-power committees headed by Chief Secretaries.

Giving details of the scheme, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar said that since under the Constitution all funds would have to be routed through the State consolidated funds, proper provisions would be made in the guidelines to ensure that the funds under the scheme reached the districts without any diversions. The guidelines would be prepared in consultation with the State Governments.

The scheme would replace the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) and to ensure the transition was smooth and seamless, all the 147 RSVY districts would be covered under RSVY till an amount of Rs. 45 crore plus the existing monitoring fee was released to each of them. As soon as any district received an aggregate of Rs. 45 crore under RSVY, it would be shifted to the new scheme's standard mode of funding. The existing special plan for Bihar and eight Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) districts would continue; they would get Rs. 1,000 crore and Rs. 250 crore a year respectively till the end of the 11th plan period.

The CCEA also gave its nod for 11 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras so that there was one kendra in each district, and to revive the 10 per cent rebate scheme for handlooms for three years from the current financial year, with a budget provision of Rs. 100 crore for the three years.

The National Handloom organisations, the National Handloom Development Corporation, the Handicrafts and Handloom Export Corporation, the State Handloom Corporations, the State Handloom Apex Cooperative Societies and the Primary Handloom Weavers Cooperative Societies will be eligible for assistance on sales generated during fairs, festivals, exhibitions, melas, expos and events approved by the office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms).

The Cabinet also approved the setting up of a National Rainfed Area Authority and revisions in the Rural Electrification Policy to incorporate the various recommendations of a Group of Ministers.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail