Rajasthan to set up company for power purchase, sale

The Rajasthan government today decided to set up a company for purchase and sale of power in the state, which so far was being done by separate companies.
The decision to form the fully government-owned company was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore told reporters here.
He said that the move was aimed at bringing more transparency in the sale and purchase of electricity units, a work which was so far being done by three power distribution companies (DISCOM).
Managing Directors of the DISCOMs will be the Directors of the new company that will be named as 'Rajasthan Energy Development Corporation Ltd'.

The Cabinet also decided to amend civil services pension rules in order to extend the benefit of special pension to the widow or widower of executive magistrate or other personnel of prevention and enforcement branches of mines, transport and forest departments who die while working on law and order related duty, he said.
Under the special pension rules, the widow or widower of the employee who are killed or die during duty are granted pension which is equal to emoluments last drawn by the deceased government servant till the retirement age.

After the retirement age, the special pension converts to the normal family pension.

So far, this benefit was for the employees of police, RAC and the preventive branch of excise department only.
The Cabinet also cleared a proposal to run a special health campaign 'Arogya Rajasthan Abhiyan', under which health data base of the people of the state will be prepared and linked with health insurance scheme which will also be started in October this year.
Under the campaign, health card of nearly 5 crore people will be prepared by the government by holding camps at Gram Panchayat level from December.
The Cabinet decided to relax norms of physical test for female candidates for recruitment of forest services.

The cabinet also took decision to resume the work of setting up of a mini secretariat in Alwar.