The Himachal Cabinet on Tuesday decided to recommend the Governor to convene Monsoon session of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from August 19 to 31 with a total of 11 sittings.
In its meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the Cabinet condoled the death of 13 jawans of Assam Rifles and one civilian in the building collapse near Kumarhatti in Solan district on July 14. It observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls.
The Cabinet gave its nod to increase the honorarium of water guards from Rs . 2100 to Rs . 3000 and para fitters and para pump operators from Rs . 3000 to Rs . 4000 engaged in Irrigation and Public Health Department. This would benefit about 6220 water guards and about 500 para fitters and para pump operators.
The Cabinet decided to continue Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement of apple during the current apple season to ensure remunerative prices to the apple growers. It also decided to enhance the procurement price under MIS from Rs. 7.50 to Rs. 8 per kg. As many as 279 procurement centres would be opened in different parts of the state to facilitate the apple growers.
It was also decided that state level function would be organized at Shimla on the birth anniversary of first Chief Minister Dr. Y.S Parmar on August 4.
To ensure optimum use of solar energy, the Cabinet decided to provide State subsidy of 30 percent of system cost including installation of solar water heating systems of capacities 100 LPD and 200 LPD only to all the domestic consumers in the state.
It also decided to frame Himachal Pradesh State Construction and Demolition Waste Policy and Strategy to avoid, minimise, reuse, recycle and dispose-off construction and demolition waste and avoid and minimize construction waste through design and construction management. This would help in checking the environmental problems that arise owning to open dumping of these wastes. Under the policy, suitable land would be provided for dumping of construction and demolition waste and further its processing through private operators/agencies or by Urban Local Bodies.
The Cabinet decided to approve the change of equity in favour of three power projects and also cleared a policy for imposing penalty in case of change of equity and name without the approval of the government.
It also decided to give a period of 60 days when the project developer can get them approved without penalty.