The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, in its meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday, paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and observed two minutes of silence in his memory. The Cabinet acknowledged his significant contributions to the nation and to Himachal Pradesh’s development and noted that several key projects in the state were realized due to Dr. Singh’s vision and support. These include the Atal Tunnel, three medical colleges, the ESIC Hospital at Ner Chowk, IIT Mandi, IIIT Una, the Central University, and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Kangra.

It was also mentioned that Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister was transformative and his initiatives such as the Right to Information Act, Right to Education Act, MNREGA, the Food Security Act, introduction of Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), and the historic loan waiver for 72 lakh farmers were highlighted as milestones. The Indo-US Nuclear Deal during his Prime Ministership was hailed as a strategic achievement with lasting benefits for India. As Union Finance Minister, he was instrumental in pulling the country out of an economic crisis and laying the strong foundation for economic reforms that reshaped India’s financial landscape.

The Cabinet gave its nod to rename Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) as Dr. Manmohan Singh Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration.

The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of families in BPL list, with no adult members between the ages of 18 and 59, families headed by women, families whose head has a disability of 50 percent or more, families that worked for at least 100 days under MNREGA in the previous financial year, and families whose earning members are suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, thalassemia, or any other condition resulting in permanent disability.

It also approved the establishment of a Special Task Force to combat drug abuse and dismantle drug trafficking and organized crime networks in the state through a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach.

Additionally, the Cabinet has decided to promulgate an ordinance to amend Schedule 1A of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. This amendment will enable the levy of a uniform stamp duty rate of 12 percent on transfer and lease transactions secured under Section 118(2)(H) of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, with prior sanction from the State Government.

It decided to approve the ban on felling of trees except Safeda, Poplar and Bamboo while felling of khair for sale in accordance with ten years programme.

The Cabinet approved the guidelines for ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’ Programme to redress the grievances of common man residing in remote and hard areas of the State.

The Cabinet reiterated its request to the Government of India to adopt the 90:10 funding formula for the power component of the Kishau Multipurpose Project, similar to the formula adopted for the water component. Alternatively, it proposed providing a 50-year interest-free loan for the entire amount payable by the State Government for the power component under the Inter-State Agreement.

In addition, the Cabinet has decided to delegate the mandate for the allotment and monitoring of hydro and solar power projects above 5 MW, as well as Green Hydrogen, Biomass, and Pumped Storage Projects, to the Department of Energy. It also approved the establishment of a 1 MW Green Hydrogen project in Nalagarh, to be executed by HPPCL.

Furthermore, the Cabinet approved the imposition of Green Energy Development Charges for Pumped Storage Projects. A charge of Rs. 2.5 lakh per MW per year will be levied for the first 10 years after the project’s commissioning, which will increase to Rs. 5 lakh per MW per year thereafter.