The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet in its meeting held here today decided to provide three percent reservation to Self Help Groups of Women Entrepreneurs in allotments of shops and stalls in the municipalities areas of the State, including Municipal Corporation, Shimla, by amending the Leasing out of the Stalls/Shops Constructed by the Municipalities in Himachal Pradesh Rules, 2001, to facilitate the women entrepreneurs in starting their self employment ventures.
With a view to decentralize the powers to the Gram Panchayats and empower them with majority of local powers the Cabinet approved the proposal of handing over of the task of distribution of water through Rural Water Supply Scheme to local gram panchayats on pilot basis i.e. 10 percent of the schemes to begin with. The expenditure for which will be borne by the 12th Finance Commission Grants under Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP).
Decided to exempt ground tax on vacant land, where construction activities are banned, owned by the people within the limits of Municipal Corporation, Shimla.
Also approved the proposal of fixation of the rates of different species standing trees after the same were fixed in the year 1993-94. The new rates per cubic meter for Deodar will be Rs. 29,600, Kail 27,600, Fur and Spruce Rs. 13,200, Baan 18,000, Chil Rs. 10,600, Sheesham Rs. 10,100, Saal and Sain Rs. 8,200, broad leaved species such as Kokat, Eucalyptus etc. Rs. 3,200.
Granted sanction for creation and filling up of 546 posts of teaching and non-teaching categories for deployment in the 26 newly upgraded government senior secondary schools during the current financial year.
Approved the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) for setting up of an Inland Container Depot (ICD) for exporting the goods from industrial areas at Baddi.
Cabinet granted approval for setting up of the Sugarcane Based Unit (Agro Based Unit) in district Una.
Approved the Himachal Pradesh Meter Taxi Scheme, 2006, to introduce metered taxi service in all the important tourist destinations Kullu, Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamshala and Shimla within the radius of 40 kms. area of plying and fixed initial charge for 2 kms. at Rs. 60. The Scheme would benefit the taxi owners as also the visitors to the State.
It further approved delegation of various functional powers to the Chief Executive Officer, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority.
Further approved fixation of minimum fare at Rs. 2.00 in respect of Passenger Buses in Himachal Pradesh aimed at providing relief to the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation and private bus operators.
Also approved grant of moratorium of three years to Himachal Pradesh Road Corporation for repayment of principal amount and interest thereupon of the loan of Rs. 67 crore.
Granted one time relaxation to the unemployed youth in essential educational qualifications in the recruitment procedure to the diploma holders to the posts of radiographers and pharmacists who have acquired educational qualification prior to the year 2001and were ineligible after the amendment in the recruitment and promotion rules to the above posts with a view to provide diploma holders more employment avenues.
Cabinet consented to reserve hydel projects upto 2 MW exclusively for Himachali entrepreneurs to encourage entrepreneurship amongst the educated unemployed youth of the State and make them partner in the progress of the State while they would also be given preference to undertake execution of the hydel projects upto the capacity of 5 MW.
Approved seven posts of physiotherapists for each district hospital in addition to the existing five posts thereby providing one post to each of the district hospitals in the State.
Also approved creation of 73 posts and filling up of 77 posts drivers in Health and Family Welfare Department thereby providing driver to the entire fleet of 403 vehicles of the department.
The Cabinet also sanctioned 37 posts for Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority for managing the functioning of the Authority effectively as also to curtail the codal formalities at different levels of administration.
Approved the nomenclature of the legal assistants in the pay scale of Rs. 6400-10640 to that of Law Officer.
