The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday decided to provide Rs 1,500 per month as Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi to all the women aged 18–60 years in Spiti Valley. The announcement in this regard was made by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in Spiti during the Himachal Day function on April 15.
Earlier in the state budget, the CM announced an increased pension of Rs 1,500 per month for 2.31 lakh women who are currently getting a pension of Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,150. This was one of the ten guarantees promised by the Congress in its election manifesto during the assembly polls. The chief minister has been blaming the previous BJP government for putting the state under a mounting debt liability of Rs 75,000 crore and committed liabilities of over Rs 11,000 crore, pertaining to arrears and DA of employees and pensioners.
The cabinet also decided to increase the Certain Goods Carried by Roads (CGCR) tax on tobacco in all forms, including Pan Masala, Pan Chatney, and tobacco or tobacco substitutes, from Rs 3 per quintal to Rs 4.50 per quintal.
The Cabinet decided to give Rs 600 in lieu of school uniforms through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to about 5.25 lakh students (girls and boys) of classes I to VIII studying in government schools. It was also decided to increase the honorarium of nambardars and chowkidars (part-time workers) in the revenue department from Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,700 per month and from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500, respectively. The decision would benefit about 3,177 Nambardars and 1,950 Chowkidars.
It was decided to amend the Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy, 2021, to make the transfer of land for setting up solar power and new and renewable energy projects on a lease, purchase, or acquisition basis, subject to the applicable provisions of the various Acts pertaining to the matter.
The Cabinet decided to constitute the Atal Tunnel Planning Area and freeze the existing land use of the Atal Tunnel Planning Area, which includes revenue villages in district Lahaul-Spiti.