Ranchi, July 24 (IANS) The Jharkhand government has decided to rename all Atal Mohalla Clinics operating in the state as Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinics. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday.

Currently, around 140 such clinics are operational across Jharkhand, primarily aimed at delivering basic healthcare services to the urban and rural poor at the local level.

Among other key decisions, the cabinet approved the draft of the Jharkhand State University Bill, 2025, which will be tabled in the upcoming monsoon session of the Assembly.

The bill seeks to bring all government universities under a uniform administrative and regulatory framework through the formation of a State University Service Commission.

This body will oversee appointments and promotions of university teachers. However, medical and agricultural universities will remain outside its jurisdiction. The age limit for vice-chancellors has been fixed at 70 years.

In another significant decision, the cabinet gave its nod to the Jharkhand State Police, Kakshapal, Sepoy (Home Defense Corps), Excise Sepoy Joint Recruitment Rules, 2025.

As part of this, all previously published police recruitment advertisements stand canceled.

Under the revised norms, applicants across all categories will be granted a five-year age relaxation, and candidates who had applied under earlier notifications will be exempted from paying the application fee.

The cabinet also approved the provision of government jobs — either under a special ex gratia grant or on compassionate grounds — to dependents of Central Paramilitary Force personnel from Jharkhand who were martyred in militant incidents or while defending the nation’s borders.

Further, the cabinet approved the dismissal of two doctors — Dr Kumari Rekha from Musabani (Jamshedpur) and Dr Reena Kumari from Sadar Hospital (Bokaro) — for prolonged unauthorized absence from duty.

In a major move to strengthen Urdu education in government schools, the cabinet decided to surrender 3,712 existing posts of Urdu assistant teachers and create 4,339 new teaching posts.

Of these, 3,287 posts will be for Intermediate Trained Assistant Acharyas in primary schools, while 1,052 posts will be for Graduate Trained Assistant Acharyas in middle schools.

–IANS

snc/skp