Bowing to the demand of the state government employees, the state cabinet in its meeting on Friday has decided to increase the House Rent Allowance (HRA) of employees. In view of the ensuing budget session of the state assembly no official information about the decisions taken by the cabinet on 31 issues was given. However it is learnt that the cabinet decided to pay 8, 10 and 12 percent of pay level as House Rent Allowance. In the big cities like Dehradun and Haridwar, HRA of 12 percent of the salary would be paid while for unclassified places of postings 8 percent HRA would be paid. For others 10 percent of HRA would be paid.
The cabinet also approved 10 per cent reservation on economic basis to members of the general category in the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission. While the state secretariat allowance will remain unchanged, the cabinet also decided to waive off house rent for former chief ministers. Approval was also granted to creation of 152 posts in the State cancer institute at the government medical college in Haldwani. The structure of Uttarakhand food security cadre was also granted approval by the cabinet along with service rules of Uttarakhand renewable energy development authority. Under women empowerment, the cabinet approved the Anchal Amrit Yojana under which a fixed quantity of milk powder per year will be provided for children in the 3-6 years age group. Approval was also granted for starting work on increasing breeding of native cow varieties for A2 category milk production in Kapkot, Garud and Bageshwar under the animal husbandry department. Further, the cabinet approved provision of up to Rs one lakh interest-free loan to marginal and poor farmers for agro-processing and agricultural works under Pundit Deendayal Kisan Yojana. Similarly, provision of up to Rs five lakh loan at zero-per cent interest for women groups was also approved. To encourage agricultural development in the mountainous, amendment was approved in the Uttarakhand Agricultural Produce Marketing Act 2011 to end development charge/cess on bulk sale of flowers. It was also decided that the agriculture department will not implement the national bamboo mission. Among other decisions approved by the cabinet, it was also decided that the revenue generated by Corbett tiger reserve will be deposited in the State government fund while grants to the tiger foundations will be accorded as per the revenue generated in Corbett and Rajaji tiger reserves.