Market intervention scheme for buying Apple at Rs 5.25 per Kg approved
Shimla: The Himachal cabinet today stamped the $ 95.16 million tourism infrastructure project to be funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) by asking the principal secretary tourism to sign the deal
The cabinet also directed for enforcing minimum flows in dammed rivers and approved the marketing intervention scheme (MIS) for apple, by far the largest cash crop of the hill state.
Presided over by chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, the cabinet declared Rs 5.25 per Kg as the rate for procuring ‘C’ grade apple under MIS for which 259 procurement centers would be opened by government agencies HPMC, HIMFED and HP Agro.
To ensure remunerative prices to growers and save them from exploitation, the MIS scheme would be implemented from July 20 to October 31st, said a cabinet spokesman.
Principal secretary tourism was authorized by the cabinet to sign a loan agreement with the ADB for funding a $ 95.16 million tourism development infrastructure project, said the spokesman.
Cabinet decided to implement the conditionality for release of 15 % water immediately downstream of diversion structures at hydropower projects.
For determination of minimum discharge, the threshold value of not less than 15 percent of the minimum inflow observed in the lean season is to be considered, he said.
Settling a controversy about elevation for setting a 261 MW project on Spiti River the cabinet granted approval that the project be constructed between 2763 meters and 2537 meters providing a 226 meter head fall for generating electricity as against the earlier sanction of 205 meter fall.
Cabinet gave its nod for ‘The Himachal Pradesh Public Services Guarantee Bill, 2011’that is to be introduced in the monsoon assembly.
The bill is aimed at bringing about transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the administration by providing guarantee for delivery of basic public services to the citizen within a stipulated time frame and sets in place an accountability mechanism for non delivery of notified services, said the spokesman.
Approval was given for introducing electronic facilities to the traders by amending the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax Rules, 2005 so as to facilitate them in quick filing of hassle free returns.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
Interferece in the natural river sytem, is something for which I would like to see the reprisal of Nature in my living days. Sparing a minimum discharge of natural stream is not something the people or the government are doing a favour to the envirnment. How, over years, the streams and rivers have not only diminished and become unpredictable, is something which must be understood, For instance, rapacious mauling of mangrove forests by Maharshashra”KARS” and Mumbai”KARS” is now leading to a situation where flashfloods are followed by droughts! Mangroves which operated as natural moderators of the rainfalls resulting in a round the year streams are now no longer there for the job thanks to human greed. One finds is hard to sympathise for the what they get year after year. Now, has anyone given the thought that it might be extensive thinnning of forests by cutting trees is now leading to lack of precipitation and hence the reduced water volume?