The West Bengal government will announce the proposed land-use policy in a week's time. Briefing newspersons at Writers' Buildings after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening, the Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, said the policy papers are nearing finalisation.

According to Ms Banerjee, the State government would soon carry out a special recruitment drive for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.

“Our surveys show that against 22 per cent reservation for SC and ST candidates, only 16 per cent are filled up,” she said. The drive will focus on recruitment from the Maoist-affected districts of Purulia, West Midnapore and Bankura.

Ms Banerjee, during her visit to these districts, had promised to offer 10,000 jobs in the area. “We will ask all departments to prepare a special database for the number of SC and ST candidates employed by them,” she added.

Kisan Cards

The State government will also carry out a special awareness drive to increase the number of kisan cards in the State for facilitating insurance claims in case of crop loss or land damage due to natural calamity. Currently, 50 per cent of the farmers in the State have such kisan cards, she said.

Festival Sops

The government has also announced cash benefits worth Rs 850 crore for its employees and pensioners in the ensuing festive season.

In a statement in the Assembly, the State Finance Minister, Mr Amit Mitra, said that government employees would be given 50 per cent of the third instalment of the Pay Commission recommendations due to them. This decision will have a financial implication of Rs 500 crore.

The total financial implication for the bonus and ex- gratia will be Rs 350 crore, he added. The government has announced Rs 2,100 as ad-hoc bonus for employees with gross monthly emoluments up to Rs 20,000.

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