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HP govt assures 120-days employment to urban population, announces waiver of electricity bills for hotels
Curfew hours relaxed by one hour from 10 am to 3 pm.
In a bid to revive the economy, the Himachal government has announced to waive off electricity bills of hotels registered with the tourism department and decided to start a scheme guaranteeing 120 days assured employment to the urban population besides some relief for agriculturists and fruit growers.
The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, on Saturday.
CM constituted a three-member cabinet subcommittee headed by jal shakti minister Mahender Singh seeking measures for the economic revival of the state. The other two members are education minister Suresh Bhardwaj, industries minister Bikram Singh and forest minister Govind Thakur.
The subcommittee will submit its report in the next two weeks, Bhardwaj said.
The cabinet gave approval for 120 days assured employment to the urban population under the new Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojana. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, agriculturists and horticulturists of the state have been facing huge losses. Therefore, the government had decided to compensate them to some extent.
The cabinet also decided to waive electricity demand charges of hotels for six months, thereby providing them relief of about ₹15 crore. Similarly, excise and taxation license fee will be waived, and lifting quota of bars would be on pro-rata basis.
In addition to this, token tax and special road tax would be waived for four months and no penalty will be imposed on the owners of private vehicles on account of delay on renewal of registration and permits. Support of ₹55 crore will also be provided to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation.
30% attendance in government offices
Government offices will have 30% attendance from May 4 onward. The cabinet authorised the head of departments to prepare a list of employees. Besides it also extended curfew relaxation hours for another one hour. The curfew will now be relaxed from 10 am to 3 pm. However, it decided not to ply busses in the state till further orders.
Old excise policy extended
It was also decided to give post-facto approval for the extension of Excise Policy, 2019-20. The cabinet also gave its nod to post-facto approval of extension of Toll Policy 2019-20 up to May 31. The retail excise licensees would not be required to deposit any excise levies for the period liquor vends remained closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown after March 22.
The retail excise licensees will be allowed to lift the remaining Minimum Guaranteed Quota of 2019-20 if due, against the licence fee deposited before March 31 and in case the complete licence fee has not been deposited by the said date then such excise licensees will be allowed to lift the pending quota against the deposition of the pending excise license fee for 2019-20 in April and May, whenever the vends are opened.
