The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for promulgation of Himachal Pradesh Payment of Income Tax on Salaries and Allowances of Certain Categories Ordinance, 2022, from the current financial year.
The cabinet had in its last meeting held on April 8 decided that ministers and MLAs will pay income tax on their salaries themselves. Earlier, the income tax of the members of legislative assembly and ministers was paid by the government.
The cabinet also decided to provide state government a guarantee, enabling the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) to avail ₹110 crore as loan from banks at competitive rates for paying pending liabilities of death-cum-retirement gratuity and leave encashment of its retirees.
Presided over by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, the cabinet also gave its approval to enhance the honorarium of elected representatives of panchayati raj institutions to ₹2,000.
The zila parishad chairperson would now get ₹15,000 honorarium and its member ₹6,000.
Chairperson of panchayat samiti will get ₹9,000, vice-chairperson ₹6,500 and member ₹5,500.
{{/usCountry}}Chairperson of panchayat samiti will get ₹9,000, vice-chairperson ₹6,500 and member ₹5,500.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, the honorarium of gram panchayat pradhan would be ₹5,500, up-pradhan will get ₹3,500 and a member will get ₹600 per month.
The cabinet further gave its approval to the development plan for Shimla planning area after over 43 years, as till now interim development plan was in force.
The cabinet decided to include gram panchayat of Jhungi in the Nihri development block of Mandi district by excluding it from Gohar block.
Decision was also made to create a subdivision of public works department (PWD) at Jainagar in Solan and open a new section of PWD at Balgar in Shimla.
The cabinet decided to relax the condition of possession of at least five kanal agricultural land for registering the tractors purchased for agriculture purposes under the Custom Hiring Centre Scheme of the centrally sponsored Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanisation.
It also gave approval to the proposal to amend the development plan for Solan planning area.
Nod was also given to open Jal Shakti department sections at Hatgarh, Sainj and Balh Ropa in Mandi district.
The cabinet decided to open new primary school at Rigarwala village in gram panchayat of Kaulawala Bhud under Surla education block in Nahan of Sirmaur district.
It also decided to open new primary health centres at Bandal and Bakhali in Mandi.
It gave its consent to demolish five old (unsafe) government buildings of the wildlife wing (forest department) for construction of 200-bed Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College and Hospital in Chamba.
The cabinet decided to provide essentiality and feasibility certificate/NOC for increasing the BSc paramedical technology seats (a three-year degree course) in Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, in Kangra district from existing 26 seats to 54 seats.
It also decided to open new division of Jal Shakti Vibhag at Rajgarh in Pachhad Vidhan Sabha area of Sirmaur district along with requisite posts.
The cabinet gave its approval to increase the monthly stipend of PG students of Rajiv Gandhi Government Ayurvedic Post Graduate College in Paprola by ₹8,000 per month from April 2022.
It also gave its approval to open new ayurvedic health centre at Kandobayla village in Dadahu tehsil of Sirmaur district.
The cabinet also gave its ex post facto approval for premium rates of ₹1,000 or ₹365 for three years under Mukhya Mantri HIMCARE Yojana and also enhancing its validity period for three years.
It also decided that registration of new cards under this scheme would be carried out throughout the year.