Himachal Pradesh Cabinet Limits Electricity Subsidy to One Meter per Household

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has approved changes to the zero electricity bill provisions for domestic consumers. The subsidy will now be limited to one meter per family and linked to ration cards. This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

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Electricity Subsidy Changes

The Cabinet has decided to remove the entire subsidy on electricity bills for several groups, including the chief minister, former CMs, speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, MPs, MLAs, former ministers, board chairmen/advisors, OSDs, all Class-I and Class-II government employees, and all income taxpayers. Previously, residents in Himachal Pradesh enjoyed free electricity for up to 125 units per month.

Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur criticised the Congress-led government for halting the existing electricity subsidy. He stated that the Congress had promised 300 units of free electricity but has now decided to stop the already existing subsidy. Thakur accused the government of misleading people with false promises.

Land Acquisition and Compensation

The Cabinet has also approved land acquisition and compensation for families affected by the Kangra airport expansion. Additionally, it was decided to provide the state share of capital cost for constructing a Bulk Drug Park in the Haroli Assembly constituency of Una district. The tender for this project has been approved.

In another decision, the Cabinet agreed to include additional areas such as Retreat, Mashobra, Band Tukda Andri, Shiv Mandi Andri, Tal and Giri, DPF Khalini, BCS, Mist Chamber and Parimahal under the green area category in the Shimla Development Plan.

Education Sector Decisions

The Cabinet accepted recommendations from a sub-committee to declare results for Junior Office Assistant postcodes 903 and 939 by Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog Hamirpur. It also approved filling 486 Lecturer Physical Education posts and 157 supernumerary Principal School Cadre posts in the Education Department.

Furthermore, the Cabinet decided to reclassify district cadres of Patwari and Kanunago and the divisional cadre of Naib Tehsildar in the Revenue Department as state cadre. A new scheme called Himachal Pradesh State Award for School Teachers Scheme, 2024 was also launched to recognise outstanding teachers.

Transport and Tourism Initiatives

An amendment to the HP Motor Vehicles Rules, 1999 was approved. This requires submitting an authorised receipt for purchasing two Bureau of Indian Standards-certified protective headgears when registering two-wheelers in the state. Additionally, a ropeway from taxi parking to Baba Balak Nath Temple Deothsidh in Hamirpur district will be established.

Meanwhile, a Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting was held to draft the Himachal Pradesh Home Stay Rules, 2024. The committee decided to revise these draft rules for the tourism department.

The decisions taken by the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet aim at rationalising subsidies and improving infrastructure while ensuring transparency in administrative processes.