Jaipur, Aug 7 (IANS) The Rajasthan Cabinet on Friday approved a series of major policy decisions aimed at strengthening employee welfare, improving labour standards, boosting agro‑industries and promoting environmental conservation.
Following the Cabinet and Council of Ministers meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa, Law Minister Jogaram Patel and Industries Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore addressed a press conference to announce the key decisions.
State Minister Jogaram Patel said the Cabinet has approved the State Wage Code 2026, introducing a scientific mechanism for determining minimum wages. Under the new code, workers’ wages will be revised twice every year, on April 1 and October 1. Employers will be required to issue salary slips to all employees, the maximum working hours have been capped at 48 hours per week, and employees must receive a mandatory 30‑minute break after five consecutive hours of work.
The government said these reforms are aimed at improving transparency, ensuring fair wages and strengthening labour welfare across the state.
In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved extending State Insurance Scheme benefits for government employees until their actual date of retirement. Earlier, employees were eligible for these benefits only until April 1 of the year in which they retired. The new provision ensures uninterrupted insurance coverage until the final day of service.
The Cabinet also approved the Agro‑Food Processing Policy 2026, designed to strengthen Rajasthan’s agriculture and food processing sectors while encouraging private investment. The policy will provide special support to industries engaged in fruit and vegetable processing, pulses and oilseeds, pharmaceutical manufacturing and animal feed production. To attract investment, the government will offer special concessions and incentives to entrepreneurs establishing new agro‑processing units in the state.
The initiative is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities, particularly in rural Rajasthan.
The Cabinet also cleared the Trees Outside Forests Policy as part of the state’s Mission Hariyalo Rajasthan initiative. Under the mission, 10 crore saplings will be planted every year. Plantation drives will be undertaken along riverbanks, drains, roadsides and other suitable non‑forest areas to increase green cover and improve environmental sustainability.
Addressing the press conference, Jogaram Patel announced that the state government has decided to conduct the upcoming Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections simultaneously under the ‘One State‑One Election’ framework. He said that holding Panchayati Raj and municipal elections at different times disrupts the pace of development works and leads to repeated administrative and financial burdens.
To ensure uninterrupted development while saving public money, workforce and time, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had announced in the 2024‑25 State Budget that elections to Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions would be held together under the ‘One State‑One Election’ model.
Jogaram Patel further informed that the Rajasthan State Other Backward Classes (Political Representation) Commission submitted its recommendations to the state government on August 5, 2026. The Cabinet has approved these recommendations, paving the way for incorporating provisions for reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Urban Local Bodies Act and the Panchayati Raj Act, alongside the existing reservation provisions for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the process of draw of lots for reservation of seats for SC, ST and OBC categories in local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions will now begin, marking a key step towards conducting the upcoming elections under the new framework.
The Rajasthan Cabinet has also approved the Rajasthan Agriculture and Food Processing Policy, 2026, and the Rajasthan Food Park Development Policy, 2026, to accelerate investment, strengthen agro‑processing infrastructure, and boost farmers’ incomes through value addition and market linkages.
Announcing the decisions, Industries and Commerce Minister Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the Agriculture and Food Processing Policy aims to promote investment in agriculture and horticulture, encourage rural entrepreneurship, strengthen supply chains and improve marketing of processed agricultural products.
The policy covers processing industries for fruits and vegetables, spices, grains, oilseeds, pulses, medicinal products, minor forest produce, honey, dairy, animal feed and infrastructure such as silos and cold storage facilities. A Shri‑Anna Promotion Agency will be established to promote millets.
The policy provides capital subsidies of 60 per cent for loans up to Rs 50 lakh, 50 per cent for loans between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore, and 40 per cent for loans above Rs 1 crore, subject to a maximum subsidy of Rs 1.5 crore. An additional 5 per cent capital subsidy will be available for FPOs, entrepreneurs in Tribal Sub‑Plan (TSP) areas, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women entrepreneurs.
Cold storage, silo, export and agro‑processing projects will also be eligible for incentives under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS), 2024, including the MSME standard package.
–IANS
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