A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, convened at the Mahanadi Bhawan in the Ministry today, resulting in several significant decisions. The council of ministers honored the bravery and sacrifice of Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Girepunje, who died in an anti-Naxal operation in Sukma district. His wife, Sneha Girepunje, was granted a compassionate appointment as Deputy Superintendent of Police in the State Police Service. Akash Rao Girepunje was martyred on June 9, 2025, in a bomb blast.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to amend the state’s solar energy policy to reduce reliance on traditional energy sources and encourage the production of energy from non-conventional sources. Other decisions include:
* **Policy Duration:** The revised policy will now be in effect until 2030, or until the state government issues a new solar energy policy.
* **Benefits for Industries:** Solar energy projects will now be granted priority industry status under the state’s industrial policy.
* Investors will receive various incentives and concessions, such as interest subsidies, capital cost subsidies (for micro-industries), GST reimbursement (for small, medium, and large industries), electricity duty exemptions, stamp duty exemptions, grants for preparing project reports, exemptions on land use change fees, fee reductions for acquiring land from land banks, exemptions on land premiums for entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes/Tribes, the disabled, senior citizens, and the third gender community, grants for providing employment to the disabled, and special packages for mega and ultra-mega projects.
A crucial decision was made during the cabinet meeting to appoint Rita Shandilya, currently serving as a member and executive chairperson of the Public Service Commission, as the chairperson of the Public Service Commission.
Additionally, the cabinet decided to increase the honorarium for retired media personnel under the Chhattisgarh Senior Media Personnel Honor Fund from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 20,000 per month. This increase was announced in the 2025-26 budget.
