Rajasthan Cabinet postpones RAS main exam, declares BJP poll manifesto as policy document

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Cabinet on Thursday postponed the state administrative service main exam and declared the BJP's election manifesto as a policy document.

In its first meeting, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's Cabinet also decided to review the decisions taken by the previous Congress government in its last six months of being in power, Cabinet Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore told reporters after the meeting.

The government has declared the BJP's election manifesto, the 'Sankalp Patra', as a policy document and extended the date of the proposed main examination of the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) scheduled this month, Rathore said.

"In today's meeting, it was decided by the CM and all the members of the Council of Ministers that a committee will review the decisions taken by the previous state government in the last six months," he said.

"The committee will present its review report to the CM in three months," he added.

It was also decided to restore the Loktantra Senani Samman Nidhi 2008. With this, those jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for fighting to protect democracy during the Emergency will get a pension again, the minister said.

A pension of Rs 20,000 per month and monthly medical aid of Rs 4,000 will be given to such people, he added.

He said the announcement made by the party in its 'Sankalp Patra' to provide LPG cylinders for Rs 450 has been implemented starting January 1. In the state, 72.83 lakh families, including about 70 lakh families associated with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, are eligible for the scheme, he said. Each family will be given one cylinder at a subsidised rate per month.

Minister Kirori Lal Meena said, "Considering the demands of the agitating candidates as fair, the government has decided to extend the date of the RAS examination." "On the lines of the Central Public Service Commission, Rajasthan Public Service Commission will also release its examination calendar," he added.

The candidates were protesting here to postpone the examination which was scheduled to be held on January 27-28.

Meena also rejected speculations that the state government would declare a holiday on January 22 because of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.