Eyeing investors, govt cuts duty on power

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 30

To provide industrial-friendly atmosphere for investors in the state, the Cabinet has decided to reduce electricity duty and approved amendments to the HP Village Common Lands Vesting and Utilization Act, 1974, to confer property rights on chakotadars.

The decision was taken by the Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The scheme will benefit people who had been given land by Panchayats under the Punjab Common Land (Regulation Act), 1962. All eligible persons will get ownership of the land after the completion of all formalities.

The Cabinet approved the filling of 100 posts of pharmacist in the Ayurveda Department, 242 posts of Patwari in the settlement wing of the Revenue Department, 200 posts of Junior Office Assistant (IT) in the Higher Education Department, 71 posts of Horticulture Development Officer and 75 posts of Horticulture Extension Officer.

The Cabinet also gave nod to upgrade the police post at Khundian to police station and start four new police posts at Jol under police station Bangana, Dadasiba under police station Dehra, Jangla under police station Chirgaon and Majheen under police station Khundia. The Cabinet also gave approval to a Sub-Divisional Police Office at Jwalamukhi in and at Paddar in Mandi.

The Cabinet okayed the transfer of government land in relaxation of nautor rules as a special case to 36 affected persons of Shmah village, Paonta Sahib, whose houses were damaged and their fields destroyed due to heavy rain in 2013.

It gave nod to transfer of the land on the lease basis to Director General, Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) for establishing CIPET-Vocational Training Centre (VTC) at Sandoli Baddi in Solan district and also transferring of land for establishing IIM at Dhaulakuan in Sirmour district.

The approval was given to start B.Tech in electrical engineering with the intake capacity of 60 seats in Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College, at Nagrota Bagwan.

The Cabinet also decided to declare Government Engineering College, Kotla, at Jeori in Shimla district, as a constituent college of Himachal Technical University, Hamirpur. A decision was also taken for creation of six courts of Mobile Traffic Magistrates in the rank of Civil Judge (Junior Division).

It was decided to issue social security cards to unorganised workers under the Shram Shakti Pehchaan campaign for registration of unorganised workers.