A meeting of the Himachal Cabinet Sub Committee to review the implementation of Election Manifesto of Congress Party, which had been adopted as Policy Document of the State Government was held here on Monday. Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes presided over the meeting.
Achievements of Tourism, Industries, Home, Art language and Culture and Sainik Welfare departments were reviewed in the meeting.
Stokes said that the State Government had not only fulfilled the promises made during the Vidhan Sabha elections but hastened the pace of development in the State. She directed the officers to implement the decisions at a faster pace so that targets could be achieved well in time.
She said that concrete measures were underway to promote sustainable tourism in the state and added that about 7 to 8 percent annual increase in the influx of tourists was being witnessed every year. The exemption of payment of luxury tax under home stay scheme has been extended upto July 2018 and in order to boost the tourism industry, new hotel units have been exempted from payment of luxury tax for a period of ten years in rural areas, backward panchayats and tribal areas, she said.
The Minister said that 2500 youth would be trained under ‘Hunar se Rozgar Tak’ scheme during the current year for self employment. She said that Tourist Guide training was imparted to 1,000 youth. She said that `567 crore were being spent under ADB funded projects on creating tourist infrastructure at important tourist destinations besides identifying 28 places where wayside amenities would be constructed to facilitate tourists.
Stokes said that efforts were being made to make Himachal Pradesh Industrial hub of the country and added that Investor Meets were also being held outside the State to woo the investors.
She said that HP Investment Promotion Cell has also been set up in order to promote investment in the State and added that procedures have been simplified and made online to facilitate the entrepreneurs. She said that to provide world class infrastructural facilities to the entrepreneurs, three State of the Art Industrial Areas were being developed in the State. State Food Processing Mission has been started to promote industrial units in the sector, she added.
The Minister was also apprised about the achievements of Art, language and Culture, Sainik Welfare and Home departments by the concerned officers in the meeting.
Chief Secretary P Mitra, Additional Chief Secretary R D Dhiman, Principal Secretary Art, language and Culture Anuradha Thakur, Secretary GAD and Sainik Welfare Mohan Chauhan were present in the meeting.