RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Monday gave nod to the policy for paddy and maize procurement on support price and custom milling in Kharif marketing year 2022-23, said Mohammed Akbar, Forest and Environment Minister on Monday.

In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, as per the approved policy the paddy will be procured at support price from November 1, 2022. It will conclude on January 31, 2023. Similarly, maize will be procured from November 1, 2022 and continue till February 28, 2023, he said.

The draft amendment in the Transport (Forest Produce) Rules 2001 to implement the National Transit Pass System (NTPS) in the state was approved. The electronic transit pass or no-objection certificate issued through the online National Transit Pass System will now be valid in the state, as per the amendment, he added.

The draft policy was approved to set up higher educational institutions in the state under public-private partnership to increase the state's gross admission ratio.

The draft of Chhattisgarh Consumer Welfare Fund Rules-2022 was approved. State will establish a State Consumer Welfare Fund and set up a Rs 20 crore (corpus) fund for consumer welfare contribution in the ratio of 75:25 by the Central and State Governments. State government will grant a contribution of Rs 5 crore, he said.

It was decided to extend the validity of government guarantee (amount of Rs.14,700 crore) given to Chhattisgarh State Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited by one year till October 2023 for the procurement of paddy, Akbar added.

The youth will get one time exemption in the provision of not being allowed to appear for more than two times in the limited departmental competitive examination for the post of Excise Sub-Inspector, he said.