Cabinet Decisions: Himachal Pradesh Cabinet in a meeting held today decided to serve show cause notice to M/S Brakel Corporation N.V. demanding an explanation about why the allotment of the projects- Jangi-Thopan and Thopan-Powari- with 960MW capacity should not be cancelled and the upfront premium deposited by it forfeited for misrepresenting and giving wrong information to the government about financial and technical competence and causing loss to the State. The state government would probably cancel the projects and re-advertise the same, inviting fresh global bids.
The cabinet also plans to implement Himachal Pradesh Bio-Carbon Afforestation Project in collaboration with the World Bank and local communities/Gram Panchayats with a view to generate Carbon Credits and Water Shed Values as well as livelihood options for the local communities. It was also decided to constitute a Sub Committee under the Chairmanship of Education Minister and Forest and IPH Ministers as its members while Principal Secretary, Finance, Education and Secretary Rural Development will be Special Invitees to recommend to the State Government the methods to be adopted for empowering supervision of educational institutions up to middle standard by the respective gram panchayats while high and senior secondary schools by the respective Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads.
It also sanctioned 2,002 posts of different categories in different departments for filling up on priority, which included 1,007 posts in the newly raised Women India Reserve Battalion; 907 posts of college and school cadre teaching and non-teaching categories in various newly upgraded educational institutions all over the State under Education Department; and 34 posts of clerks in the Excise and Taxation Department; 22 posts of various categories for newly created IPH Zonal Office, Hamirpur; 16 posts of Scientists in the CSK University of Agriculture, Palampur; 9 posts of different categories in the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited; 7 posts of different categories in the Planning Department.
Approving the draft Development Plan for Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Special Area to carry out planned development, it also finalized the Housing Scheme for Industrial Workforce of the Confederation of Indian Industries in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh -Parwanoo industrial area to construct 12,000 rooms for 24,000 industrial workers at an estimated investment ranging between 180 to 240 crores. It approved creation of a separate new Irrigation and Public Health Zone for Hamirpur. Henceforth the Zonal Offices of the Chief Engineers of IPH will be known as Chief Engineer, IPH, Shimla Zone, Kangra Zone at Dharamshala, Mandi Zone and Hamirpur Zone. It further approved conversion of 2 divisions and 6 sub-divisions of Irrigation and Public Health
Department into Hydrology Units to create a data base based on hydrology as also to institutionalize progress under the Hydrology Project under implementation in the State. The Cabinet also approved the draft Himachal Pradesh Advocates Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2008, by incorporating enhancement of annual subscription and life time subscription to the Fund extending Life Membership period by two years and also fixed 30th June of every year as the last date for payment of subscription which earlier was 31st of March.
Approval has been granted for removal of fallen trees within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, Shimla. It decided to authorize HP Electricity Regulatory Commission to maintain subsidiary account of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission Fund in HP State Co-operative Banks in addition to commercial banks while approving amendment in the Recruitment and Promotion Rules for the post of Head of the Information Technology Department in the Polytechnics; Professor (B-Pharmacy) in B. Pharmacy College; Professor (Mechanical Engineering) in the Engineering College in the Department of Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training; Joint Director (Statistics) in the Department of Animal Husbandry.
