Manual selection of panchayats to be reserved for women, SCs

SHIMLA: The panchayat elections due by the end of this year may not be held on the basis of the software prepared by Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department for determining population-based reservation roster for women and scheduled castes.

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 12

The panchayat elections due by the end of this year may not be held on the basis of the software prepared by Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department for determining population-based reservation roster for women and scheduled castes.

The issue was informally discussed during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here today. The adoption of the software would have eliminated any chances of manipulation in deciding the panchayats that would be reserved for women and SC and the ones that would have been thrown open for the general category.

Significantly, Himachal has reserved 50 per cent seats for women in the panchayats. The state was amongst the first few in the country to provide 50 per cent reservation to women, aimed at empowering them. The Panchayati Raj Department had got the software prepared so as to ensure that the entire process of preparing the reservation roster was transparent and totally population based.

The issue is learnt to have generated a lot of heat with the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma having a major showdown with one of his ministerial colleagues before the Cabinet meeting. Though the issue of adoption of the software that would have automatically indicated the panchayats to be reserved and de-reserved on the basis of population was not on the agenda for today’s Cabinet but informally it was decided to follow the earlier manual system.

The Cabinet also decided to create separate emergency medical departments at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra. This would help in providing immediate quality critical care. The Cabinet also approved regularization of services of 34 employees of Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) in the IGMC Shimla.

Nod was given to provide uniforms to the government school students under Mahatma Gandhi Vardi Yojna

The Cabinet also decided to invite suggestions and objections from the public within one month with regard to the amendment in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) rules in the wake of online services of department and amendments made in the TCP Act during the budget session in March earlier this year.

The Cabinet approved up-gradation of Community Health Centre (CHC), Jaisinghpur, in Kangra district to 100-bed Civil Hospital along with posts and up-gradation of the CHC Sujanpur to Civil Hospital. The Cabinet also approved creation of sub tehsil Kangu in Hamirpur district.

The approval was accorded for opening PHCs at Balag in Sundernagar, Kalhani in Chachiyot in Mandi, Basantpur in Arki in Solan , Deori Khaneti in Ramnagar and Bakhol in Shimla , Susnal and Karyalag in Ghumarwin, Basoli (Peernigaha) in Una and Phansha in Rampur. Besides, it also approved opening of Health Sub Centre at Urla in Padhar tehsil of Mandi.