Municipal Corporation poll now on party symbols

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 23

The forthcoming municipal corporation (MC) elections in the state will be fought on party symbols. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here today.

The Cabinet decided to carry out amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 and the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Elections Rules to enable the holding of the MC elections on party symbols. These amendments would also pave the way for reservation for OBCs, a provision of disqualification on the ground of defection and a provision of no-confidence motion. It also approved the Governor’s Address to be delivered during the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha commencing on February 26.

The Cabinet decided to extend the services of 2,555 teachers engaged under the SMC Teachers Policy in the elementary and higher education departments for the academic session 2021-22.

The Bill for necessary amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 and the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Elections Rules for holding the MC elections on the party symbols is likely to be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha during the forthcoming Budget session. The elections to the four MCs can be held any time before April.

The Cabinet also gave approval to providing government land measuring 122.08 bighas on lease at Mauja Dhaulakuan in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district to Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Nauni, Dhaulakuan, for the establishment of a regional horticulture research and training station. It approved the construction of additional accommodation at the rest house at Sundernagar in Mandi district at a cost of Rs 3.90 crore.

The Cabinet also gave nod to the modification of penalties/fines under Section 210A of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. It gave its consent to renaming Government Senior Secondary School at Manoh in Hamirpur district as Shaheed Ankush Thakur Government Senior Secondary School as a mark of respect to the Galwan martyr.

It decided to implement the Mukhya Mantri Krishi Kosh Scheme for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)-2020 for providing incentives, concessions and facilities to the eligible beneficiaries in the state. Under the scheme, the FPOs could avail of seed money up to 30 per cent of the total project cost with the maximum ceiling of Rs 6 lakh or one and a half times of the equity raised by them, whichever is less. The scheme would also ensure a credit guarantee cover for bank loan, interest subsidy etc.

It approved an amendment to the Mukhya Mantri Swavlambhan Yojana 2019 to reduce the burden of loan on entrepreneurs. The subsidy would now be deposited in the term loan accounts of the borrowers and would be adjusted only after three years.

Hamirpur school to be renamed after Galwan martyr

• The Cabinet gave nod to providing government land measuring 122.08 bighas on lease at Mauja Dhaulakuan in Paonta Sahib to Nauni varsity for setting up a horticulture research and training station
• It gave consent to renaming Government Senior Secondary School at Manoh in Hamirpur as Shaheed Ankush Thakur Government Senior Secondary School as a mark of respect to the Galwan martyr
• The reservation of one seat in ANM or B.Sc nursing courses for eligible widows, below 45 years of age, in all nursing institutes of the state was also approved