By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 30 Oct: A Cabinet Meeting was held at the Secretariat here, today, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. As many as 30 proposals were discussed and most of the proposals were approved by the Cabinet.
Chief Secretary Dr SS Sandhu along with other secretaries in charge of various departments briefed the media after the cabinet meeting. Some important decisions included implementation of a Single Window System in the Tourism Department, also, by agreeing to amend the State Tourism Policy; making District Magistrates responsible for upkeep of stray cows and cow progeny in their respective districts; upgrading the urban status of Guptkashi to Nagar Panchayat and Muni Ki Reti-Dhalwala to Category 1; and giving options to the officers joining government service after 2005 to choose between the old or new pension scheme.
Some important decisions are as under-
Urban Development: Munikireti Dhalwala has been elevated to Category 1 from category 2. This decision has been taken keeping in mind that Munikireti-Dhalwala is a major tourist centre in Uttarakhand and also a centre for Yoga and adventure sports. Lakhs of tourists come here during the Kanwar Yatra, Chardham Yatra and Kumbh Mela, due to which there is constant pressure to provide better facilities to the general public and visitors. With the upgradation of the municipality, the income of the body from state financial grants and taxes will increase. There will be improvement in the structural framework and functional activities of the municipality so that the ever-increasing population will get the best facilities related to parking, street lighting, sewer lines, paved drains, roads, cleanliness, contact roads, toilets, etc. There will be ease in operation of arrangements in view of increase in tourist activities during the journey period and other days.
Similarly, Guptkashi, too, has been upgraded to the status of Nagar Panchayat in view of the constant pressure of tourists and pilgrims during the time of Char Dham Yatra. In another development, the Kempty Falls area has also been upgraded to the level of Nagar Panchayat.
Power Dept: The Cabinet has decided that UPCL and PTCUL will jointly construct he power houses being set up under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project. In order to improve the voltage profile of power and transmission in the state, ensure grid stability and reduce grid failure, construction of new 132KV/220 KV/400 KV substations in UPCL and PTCUL under ADB funding will be executed by the two corporations.
Forest Dept: The Cabinet has approved a proposal to merge the Rajaji Conservation Foundation with the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. Its main objective is to accelerate and facilitate ecological, economic, social and cultural development in the landscapes in and around Rajaji Tiger Reserve and to provide assistance for the protection of the natural environment in and around the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The decision will also provide support to local communities in providing alternative livelihood opportunities to reduce dependence on forests, reap the benefits of ecotourism and deal with human-wildlife conflict and related crimes and to carry out activities related to the welfare of the employees working in the Tiger Reserve.
Tourism Dept: The Cabinet has approved a proposal to amend the new Tourism Policy 2023-30 in order to allow implementation of a Single Window System. This approval comes with an objective to promote tourism in the state, for which the Tourism Policy has been promulgated in 2023-30. The said tourism policy has been amended with a view to implementing it through a single window system, so that simplification of procedures, ease of doing business/simplification, fast grounding and promotion of investment projects can be provided for the investors in the sector.
Sugarcane Development Dept: The Cabinet decided to promulgate a new Khandsari policy for the crushing season 2023-24. It has been decided to keep the Khandsari policy issued for the last crushing season 2022-23 vide Government Office Memorandum No. 101473 dated 23 February 2023 as applicable for the upcoming crushing season 2023-24 also.
Animal Husbandry Dept (Fisheries): The Cabinet approved the proposal to promulgate the Chief Minister’s Matsya Sampada Yojana. The objective is to encourage fish farmers already working in the state and increasing fish production by providing self-employment to more people by connecting them with fish farming.
Animal Husbandry: The cabinet also approved a proposal regarding placing the said grant on the disposal of the District Magistrate concerned to simplify the process of giving government grant for the maintenance of destitute cattle. Under the current policy of providing shelter to the destitute cattle in the state of Uttarakhand and their maintenance at the shelter site, grants are given to non-government animal welfare organisations on the recommendation of the Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board in light of the number of sheltered cattle. This takes a lot of time. Therefore, in view of simplification of the said complex process, all the application cases for government grant will now be investigated by the District Magistrate through a nominated officer and, after investigation, the institutions for government grant will be selected by the Animal Husbandry Department by a committee formed under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate at the district level for maintenance.
The Cabinet also approved a scheme of subsidy on solar water heaters in the Energy Department, which was closed in 2014. It provides 50 percent subsidy on private installation and 30 percent subsidy on commercial installation. This scheme will now get extension.
The Cabinet also approved an amount of Rs 8.9 crores for the Sixth Congress on World Disaster Management. The cabinet also approved a proposal under which IAS or senior PCS officers can also be appointed to the post of Additional Commissioner, Administration, in the Finance Department, which was earlier reserved for junior PCS officers.
To promote employment on Van Panchayat land, approval has been given to promote herbs in 11 hill districts, the cost being Rs 628 crore. The first phase will be done in 500 hectares.
The first cut off under the new pension scheme in Uttarakhand was October 1, 2005, after which even the officers who got recruited later will be given the option of whether they want to go to the old pension scheme or the new pension scheme.
An amount of Rs 2400 was fixed for the uniform allowance of 35 thousand employees at the Secretariat. The cabinet also approved creation of 70 to 240 posts of Assistant Accountant in Rural Development.
An amount of Rs 200 crores will be provided to investors in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department in 3 years for aiding the enterprises. Those giving yoga training will be hired as outsourced yoga trainers. They will get Rs 300 per hour, under which 123 youth will get employment.
Under the scrapping policy of the Transport Department, the cabinet has approved a policy under which, in case of purchase of new vehicle after scrapping the old vehicle, one will get a discount of 15 and 25 percent on taxes. There will be no renewal of vehicles of government departments.
