Himachal Cabinet nod to Rs 20L loan for poor students at 1% interest

Shimla, June 19

All meritorious poor students of Himachal Pradesh, who wish to pursue professional courses in various fields such as engineering and medicine, can avail of a loan of up to Rs 20 lakh at only 1 per cent interest rate. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.

The Cabinet approved the Mukhyamantri Protsahan Yojana-2023, paving the way for easy loans up to Rs 20 lakh for poor students for pursuing professional courses in engineering, medicine, management, paramedical, pharmacy, nursing, ITI and polytechnics, and PhD from recognised universities and educational institutions.

Kangra airport to be expanded

• Cabinet approves acquisition of land for the expansion of the Kangra airport
• After the expansion, the runway length will be extended to 3,010 metres
• Will enable landing of bigger aircraft, bring down fares and boost tourism

The Cabinet also gave nod to the land acquisition process for the expansion of the Kangra airport. After expansion, the runway length would increase to 3,010 metres, making the airport suitable for the operation of A-320 type of aircraft. The landing of bigger aircraft would bring down fares and help the government achieve its plan of developing Kangra as Himachal’s tourism capital.

It also decided to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee comprising Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh to look into the issues pertaining to SMC (school management committee) teachers and computer teachers.

The Cabinet also decided to get the examination for various posts conducted by the HP Public Service Commission where the now-dissolved Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission, Hamirpur, had not conducted the examinations. The approval was also granted for opening a college at Tauni Devi in Hamirpur.