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Himachal brings state public service commission under prevention of malpractices act
The Himachal government’s move is aimed at ensuring fair and transparent selection of candidates on merit and do away with malpractices
In a bid to ensure fair and transparent selection of candidates on merit and do away with malpractices, the state government on Wednesday gave its nod to bring Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission under the ambit of Himachal Pradesh Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board or other Specified Examinations Act, 1984.
The decision regarding the Commission — which is responsible for conducting examinations for all appointments in state services — was taken in a meeting chaired by chief minister Sukhvinder Sukhu.
The 1984 Act outlines the duties, offences and punishment for those involved in conducting exams for corresponding appointments
The cabinet, meanwhile, also decided to roll out the Himachal Pradesh Sadbhawana Legacy Cases Resolution Scheme, 2023, initially for a period of three months to address an approximate 50,000 legacy cases that are still pending assessment under various enactments of the pre-GST era. The scheme is expected to facilitate the small and marginal traders and other taxpayers.
As many as 90,362 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, workers, ekal nari (single women), persons with more than 40% disability, registered street vendors and children living in the orphanages under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana.
Filling of vacancies in focus
Also looking to get rid of vacancies, the cabinet pushed for filling nine Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services regular posts through the service commission, three posts of assistant professors — one each at the department viz general medicine, pathology and radiotherapy — at the Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College, Hamirpur, and 10 posts for civil judges through direct recruitment.
Vacancies for 15 posts of ayurvedic pharmacy officers in the Ayush department on a contract basis were also ordered to be filled.
The cabinet also sanctioned the creation of 45 posts of different categories for vulnerable witness deposition centres at all 11 civil and sessions divisions in Himachal Pradesh as well as at Nalagarh, Sarkaghat, Sundernagar and Ghumarwin sub-divisions.
Push to clear pending files
The constitution of a cabinet sub-committee comprising of industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, rural development and panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh and PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh to decide and dispose of all the matters of felling, removal and lopping of trees in the territorial jurisdiction of the municipal corporations across the state.
Also looking to improve the Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited’s (HPPTCL) financial status and help with easy execution of existing and upcoming projects, a restructuring of the financial assistance extended to the body under Himachal Pradesh Clean Energy Transmission Investment Programme was also ordered.
Himachal Pradesh Agro Industries Corporation Limited, meanwhile, is set to be merged with the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Producing and Marketing Corporation, while the department of environment, science and technology will be renamed department of environment technology and climate change.
Further approvals were accorded for setting up a dedicated centre for science, learning and creativity at Bhog village, Anandpur (Shoghi) in Shimla to provide a forum for children to pursue their natural curiosity and creativity; for draft development plan for Shree Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham Special Area in Kangra district; renewal of the lease of land in favour of Mata Shyamakali Mandir Management Committee, Galma in Mandi for a period of 40 years at the rate of ₹55,276 per annum; and signing of an MoU with the new centrally-sponsored scheme of PM Schools for Rising India in the centre-state ratio of 90:10.
