SHIMLA: On Tuesday, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet announced several significant decisions, including plans for a world-class township at Shitalpur near Chandigarh and the creation of 600 positions for assistant staff nurses in state-operated medical facilities.
In a meeting led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the cabinet also agreed to fill 53 assistant professor roles and 121 various categories of posts across medical colleges in the state to bolster the healthcare system, according to an official statement.
For the new township in Shitalpur, located in Solan district’s Baddi area, the cabinet approved transferring 3,400 bighas of land to the housing department.
After the meeting, Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan stated that additional private or forest land would be acquired for the township, which aims to provide world-class amenities.
A sub-committee was established to investigate the township’s development, and its findings were accepted by the cabinet.
The cabinet also resolved to create a University of Multidisciplinary Institute of Innovation, Skill, Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Research in Ghumarwin, Bilaspur district, through a public-private partnership aimed at fostering a digitally skilled workforce.
Furthermore, it approved the Himachal Pradesh Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness Project in partnership with the French Development Agency, with a budget of ₹892 crore over five years.
In a bid to enhance transparency in the real estate sector and expedite grievance resolution, amendments to Rule-3 of the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate (Regulation and Development Rules), 2017, were also approved. Rule-3 is essential for project approval under Himachal Pradesh’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and outlines the necessary documentation such as project plans and land status.
The cabinet endorsed the creation of 600 assistant staff nurse positions through the HP Rajya Chayan Aayog Hamirpur, and also approved a 20% incentive on basic pay for faculty doctors who have obtained Doctorate of Medicine and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) qualifications.
Additionally, a dedicated sub-cadre for CBSE schools was approved, defining recruitment, training, and performance evaluation criteria in 100 identified schools.
It was also decided to include children studying at Tong-Len School in Dharamshala and those of significantly disabled parents in the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Aashray Yojna. This includes children with deceased or abandoned parents.
The cabinet approved a project proposal for promoting sustainable livelihoods for Himalayan shepherds under the Pastoralists Employment in Himalayan Ecosystems for Livelihoods (PEHEL) initiative. The project’s focus is on enhancing rural economies while preserving ecological balance and supporting indigenous breeds.
Plans were made to establish milk processing plants in Nahan, Nalagarh, Mohal, and Rohru, along with a milk chilling center in Jalari, Hamirpur district, and related infrastructure projects in Karsog and Pangi, all led by MILKFED and the National Dairy Development Board.
The cabinet also greenlit a cash credit limit of ₹60 crore for HP MILKFED Limited to manage increased working capital needs owing to rising milk procurement costs for the fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27.
In another decision, the cabinet approved adopting a Functional Equivalence Model (FEM), allowing assistant and associate professors in applied sciences and humanities to be functionally interchangeable across all five government engineering colleges.
The state government also approved amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Land Preservation Act, 1978, to regulate the cutting of dried chir trees affected by natural disasters or pest infestations, contingent on prior approval from the competent authority.
Moreover, the cabinet revised the Rajiv Gandhi Laghu Dukandar Sukh Kalyan Yojna-Shahri, which provides one-time settlement assistance of up to ₹1 lakh for small shopkeepers whose loans are declared non-performing by banks, with costs borne by the state.
The headquarters of the Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Backward Classes will be relocated from Shimla to Dharamshala, and a Drug De-addiction Centre will be established in Malot, Indora in Kangra.
Lastly, approvals were given to relax regulations for ongoing Lok Bhawans under the Mukhya Mantri Lok Bhawan Yojna and amend the Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy-2021, enabling projects under 25 MW with signed agreements to benefit from reduced royalties.
The cabinet also authorized the reallocation of equity shares in SJVNL projects, including the Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur Hydro Power Stations, for further sale via the Directorate of Energy, Himachal Pradesh.
