The Himachal Pradesh State Cabinet, in a meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, approved a series of key decisions aimed at strengthening the health sector, improving education, boosting rural livelihoods, and accelerating infrastructure development across the State.
To reinforce healthcare services, the Cabinet decided to fill 53 posts of Assistant Professors and 121 posts of various categories, including teaching, non-teaching, and paramedical staff, in all medical colleges of the State. In addition, approval was granted to create 600 posts of Assistant Staff Nurses through the HP Rajya Chayan Aayog, Hamirpur, under the Assistant Staff Nursing Policy. The Cabinet also approved an incentive of 20 percent of basic pay for faculty doctors who have acquired Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) qualifications.
In the Jal Shakti Vibhag, the Cabinet approved filling 40 vacant posts of Job Trainees, Junior Engineer (Civil), while 10 posts of Block Development Officer will be filled through direct recruitment in the Department of Rural Development.
For strengthening the school education system, approval was accorded to create a dedicated sub-cadre for CBSE schools with clearly defined recruitment, training, tenure, and performance evaluation norms in 100 identified schools of the State.
The Cabinet expanded the ambit of the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Aashray Yojna by deciding to include children studying in Tong-Len School, Dharamshala, children of disabled parents with 70 percent or more disability, and children who have lost one parent while the other has abandoned them.
In a major urban development initiative, the Cabinet approved the proposal to build a world-class township at Shitalpur on the Himachal Pradesh–Chandigarh border. It also decided to amend Rule-3 of the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017, to promote transparency in the real estate sector and ensure speedy dispute redressal.
The Cabinet approved utilization of the Skill Development Institution Building of the Building and Other Construction Welfare Board at Palkwah Khas in Una district, where the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) will be shifted. It also approved the PEHEL project—Pastoralists Employment in Himalayan Ecosystems for Livelihoods—to strengthen pastoral livelihoods, preserve ecological balance, modernize pastoral practices, conserve indigenous breeds, and improve market linkages. A new Act will be introduced to facilitate smooth movement of pastoral communities, and forest lands and meadows will be opened for Gaddi livestock.
To strengthen the dairy sector, the Cabinet approved setting up milk processing plants at Nahan, Nalagarh, Mohal, and Rohru; a milk chilling centre at Jalari in Hamirpur district; a bulk milk cooler at Jhalera in Una district; and similar infrastructure at Karsog and Pangi through MILKFED and the National Dairy Development Board. It also approved a cash credit limit of Rs. 60 crore for HP MILKFED Limited for 2025–26 and 2026–27 to meet increased working capital needs, along with opening a separate milk cess account to ensure timely payments to farmers.
In the higher education sector, approval was given to adopt the Functional Equivalence Model (FEM) for Assistant and Associate Professors in Applied Sciences and Humanities across all five Government Engineering Colleges. The Cabinet also approved establishment of the University of Multidisciplinary Institute of Innovation, Skill, Technology, Entrepreneurship and Research (MIISTER) at Ghumarwin in Bilaspur district on a Public-Private Partnership mode.
The Cabinet approved amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Land Preservation Act, 1978, to regulate felling of dried chir trees affected by natural calamities, disease, or insect attacks with due approval. It also revised the Rajiv Gandhi Laghu Dukandar Sukh Kalyan Yojna (Urban), under which small shopkeepers with business loans up to Rs. 2 lakh declared as NPAs will be eligible for one-time settlement assistance of up to Rs. 1 lakh from the State Government.
Other key decisions include shifting the headquarters of the Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Backward Classes from Shimla to Dharamshala, setting up a drug de-addiction centre at Malot in Indora area of Kangra district, and granting relaxation for under-construction Lok Bhawans under the Mukhya Mantri Lok Bhawan Yojna.
The Cabinet approved amendments to the Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy-2021 to extend relaxation in free power royalty for certain hydropower projects up to 25 MW capacity, approved re-allocation of equity power share in SJVNL projects to the State Government, and accorded approval to provide compassionate employment to 28 persons in the Education Department.
Further, approval was granted for modern commercial complexes at Mohal Mauja Panol Shahri and Auhar in Ghumarwin, the Himachal Pradesh Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness Project with French Development Agency with an outlay of Rs. 892 crore for five years, and subsidy for purchase of 18–42 seater buses under the Rajiv Gandhi Swarojgar Start Up Yojna.
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