3 lakh students to be given school bags in Himachal Pradesh

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 30

The Cabinet has approved to procure school bags for over three lakh students of government schools across the state under the ‘Atal School Vardi Yojna’ at Rs 9 crore.

The decision was taken by the Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here today. It gave approval for the procurement, supply and distribution of school bags for classes 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th. This will be done on the basis of e-tender by HP Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. for 2020-21 from L-1 bidder Highspirit Commercial Ventures Private Ltd.

The Cabinet also approved the Draft Electric Vehicle Policy to promote the sustainable transport system for making Himachal a global hub for electric mobility development and manufacturing of electric vehicles. The effort will also be made to privatise charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, besides providing subsidy and incentives to the electric vehicle manufacturing companies.

It gave relief to toll firms for 2020-21 keeping in view the representations received from toll lessees as inward traffic was severely affected due to Covid from June 2020 to September 2020.

It also gave its nod to introduce the Himachal Pradesh (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2021, in the Assembly for setting up Sardar Patel University at Mandi. It decided to open a new sub tehsil at Rey in Fatehpur tehsil of Kangra and upgrade the sub tehsil, Junga, to tehsil.

It was decided to implement ‘Swaran Jayanti Paramparagat Beej Suraksha Avam Samvardhan Yojna’.

The Cabinet also gave the ex-post facto approval to the Medswan Foundation for operation and maintenance of 108 and 102 ambulances along with the call centre services for four years.

It also gave its nod to reduce the stamp duty to Rs 10 on the hypothecation agreements for loan sanctioned to street vendors, rehriwala, etc under the PM Seva Nidhi Scheme.

The Cabinet decided to open new primary schools at several places, besides nod to fill 100 posts of clerk in the Secretariat.

Other key decisions

• Relief to firms running tollbarriers for 2020-21
• Decided to open a new sub tehsil at Rey in Fatehpur and upgrade sub tehsil
• To implement ‘Swaran Jayanti Paramparagat Beej Suraksha Avam Samvardhan Yojna’
• Gave approval to Medswan Foundation for operation of 108 and 102 ambulances for four years
• Reduced stamp duty to Rs10 on the hypothecation agreements for loan to street vendors
• To open new primary schools at several places
• Nod to fill 100 posts of clerk in the Secretariat