Shimla: The cabinet on Saturday rationalized entry tax of industrial inputs, approved rules for electronically collecting stamp duty and agreed upon a mechanism to run ‘Himachal Sewa Sadan’, which is a boarding and lodging facility at Chandigarh for visiting patients and their attendants availing treatment at PGI or at another medical institution.
Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, back after a brief illness, presided over the meeting.
The cabinet approved the rationalization of entry tax in the state under which henceforth all industrial inputs would be taxed at a uniform rate of 1 percent.
Granting approval to ‘The Himachal Pradesh e-Stamping Rules, 2011’, a cabinet spokesman said the new system would benefit the customers by fast deposit of money, getting their documents registered under one roof and avoiding repeated visits to treasury, bank or stamp vendors.
Besides checking pilferages, the electronic system of stamp duty collection would help to cut costs, would bring about accountability and provide greater convenience. Authorized collection centres would be set up for the new facility, he added.
Cabinet approved the mechanism for running the 99 bedded ‘Himachal Seva Sadan’ in Sector 25 Chandigarh which has been constructed at cost of Rs 10.50 crore, the spokesman said.
Approval was given for renewal of Smart Cards under National Health Insurance Scheme up to February 28, 2012.
To make the newly constituted HP Private Education Institutions Regulatory Commission functional, cabinet gave its nod for filling up functional posts.
For expeditious acquisition of private land needed for setting up a National Disaster Reserve Force battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the cabinet gave its nod for a negotiation committee.
The land for raising the battalion has been identified at Nurpur tehsil in Kangra district. The cabinet also asked for constitution negotiation committees to deal with similar cases elsewhere.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
