J'khand police given free hand to curb Left-wing extremism: Fin Min

Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon on Monday said that the state police has been given a free hand to curb Left-wing extremism. Three Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in West Singhbhum district on April 4. "The police has been given complete freedom to rein in crime and Naxal incidents," Oraon was quoted as saying by a Congress release. Oraon, also the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president, was addressing a meeting of the 'Relief Monitoring Committee for COVID-19' at a party office here, the release issued by PCC spokesperson Alok Kumar Dubey said.

The JMM-Congress-RJD government, that has completed its 100 days in office amid the lockdown, has taken several pro-people decisions, Oraon said. The Hemant Soren-led government was sworn-in on December 29 last year. "Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the state government has prioritised making food and healthcare available to the people," Oraon, who also holds the food and consumer affairs portfolio, said. Ten lakh families have been given two months of ration and work has been initiated to issue 10 lakh new ration cards, he said. The state government is feeding the poor through its 'Mukhya Mantri Didi Kitchen', 'Daal-Bhat' and 'Khichdi' centres and community kitchens, Oraon said. Several initiatives are being taken to provide relief to farmers and labourers, he added.