Rajasthan Cabinet announces Bills to allow individuals with more than two children to contest civic polls

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 25 (ANI): The Rajasthan Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Wednesday announced the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to allow individuals with more than two children to contest elections for Panchayati Raj institutions and municipalities, a press release said.
Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa, Industry and Commerce Minister Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, in a press conference held in the Assembly after the cabinet meeting, stated that a decision has been made to amend Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, and Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009.
They explained that the ban on contesting elections for those with more than two children was imposed when there was a need to effectively control the population explosion. The fertility rate between 1991-94 was 3.6, which has now declined to two. Consequently, the direct impact of these provisions is diminishing, the press release said.
Patel stated that in compliance with the decision of the Supreme Court, Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009, has been amended, and Section 2 has been amended to remove the word "leprosy" from the category of dangerous diseases. This will ensure equal opportunity for all individuals to contest the upcoming municipal elections and ensure respect for leprosy patients.
Deputy Chief Minister Bairwa stated that to effectively prevent economic crimes and enforce financial discipline, the Cabinet decided to abolish the State Revenue Intelligence Directorate and establish the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Economic Offences.
He stated that this will enable prompt action on cases related to real estate fraud, financial crimes related to banks, insurance, NBFCs, and the stock market, multi-level marketing fraud, false bankruptcy filings, fraudulent placement agencies, and employment or admissions through forged documents.
Additionally, economic crimes such as illegal occupation or sale of government land, stamp and registration irregularities, formation of fake companies, and scams in cooperative societies will be effectively controlled, ensuring prompt action against offenders. He stated that this Directorate will analyze information from various sources, including commercial tax, excise, transport, registration and stamps, and minerals, to monitor revenue leakages and prevent tax evasion. This will enable the integrated investigation of revenue-related information and economic crimes, the press release said.
Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore stated that the Rajasthan Industrial Park Promotion Policy, 2026, will be introduced with the aim of giving new impetus to industrial development, encouraging investment, promoting employment generation, and ensuring balanced development of all sectors.
Under this policy, Model A (development entirely on land allotted by RIICO), Model B (acquisition of 80 percent of the land by the developer and the remaining 20 percent at RIICO-determined rates), Model C (arrangement of the entire land by the developer), and Model D (PPP model) have been established for the development of private industrial parks.
According to the press release, he stated that under this policy, private industrial parks will be required to have a minimum area of 50 acres and a minimum of 10 industrial units. The state government will also provide a 20 per cent capital subsidy for general infrastructure development for industrial parks. The maximum limit will be Rs 20 crore for parks up to 100 acres, Rs 30 crore for 100 to 250 acres, and Rs 40 crore for areas greater than 250 acres. Additionally, to promote green development, a provision has been made for 50 per cent reimbursement of CETP expenditure (maximum Rs 12.5 crore per park).
He added that the approval process for the park will be timely and transparently conducted through a single-window system via the RajNivesh portal.
Col Rathore stated that it has been decided to allocate 53 hectares of land for industrial purposes to M/s Growth Industrial Minerals Pvt. Ltd. in village Ramlyawars, Tehsil Neemkathana, under the provisions of the Rajasthan Industrial Area Allotment Rules, 1959. The company will invest approximately Rs 500 crore to establish a modern technology-based beneficiation and pellet plant on this land, providing direct employment opportunities to approximately 565 people.
This will also strengthen the steel value chain in the state. He stated that this decision will prove crucial towards a self-reliant India and will also increase the state's revenue, the release said.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce stated that the State Cabinet, in its meeting held on August 23, 2025, approved the Rajasthan Mandapam, Global Capability Centre, and other development works at a cost of Rs 3055 crore on RIICO land located on Tonk Road, B2 Bypass, Jaipur. Under this proposal, the State Government was to bear an amount of Rs 635 crore. The Cabinet today approved a revised financial model, which estimates the project cost to be approximately ₹5,815 million and the estimated revenue receipts to be Rs 5,815 crore. This revised model also has the potential to generate a net income of approximately Rs 10 crore. The State Government will no longer have the previously estimated financial liability of Rs 635 crore. The project will be implemented on a completely self-financed model. He stated that the establishment of the Global Capability Centre will also ensure employment opportunities for youth.
As per the release, Bairwa stated that the draft of the Rajasthan Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy University, Ajmer Bill, 2026 was approved to promote state-of-the-art medical facilities of the Indian system of medicine in the state. This will effectively work towards achieving the objectives and goals of the Central Government's National Education Policy and the State Government's AYUSH Policy. He stated that the establishment of another Ayurveda University will promote teaching, training, and research in the fields of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, and Homoeopathy. It will also boost medical tourism in the state's AYUSH sector. It is noteworthy that Jodhpur is the only state with an Ayurveda University.
Patel stated that, in response to the long-standing demand for Village Development Officers, a decision has been made to create a new post of Senior Village Development Officer and upgrade 750 Village Development Officer posts to Senior Village Development Officer positions, both from a practical and administrative perspective. It is noteworthy that the Village Development Officer's grade pay is 2400 and pay level is L-6. The creation of the new post of Senior Village Development Officer will provide them with the opportunity for early promotion to a pay grade of 3600 and level 10, the press release said. (ANI)