Himachal to provide financial assistance to disaster-hit families

The Himcahal cabinet has decided to provide ₹10,000 and ₹5,000 per month as rental expenses in urban and rural areas respectively to disaster-hit families

The state cabinet on Thursday decided to provide financial assistance to the families that were affected by the recent flash floods in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts.

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presiding over the cabinet meeting in Shimla. (HT)

In a meeting held under the chairpersonship of chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, decided to provide ₹10,000 and ₹5,000 per month as rental expenses in urban and rural areas respectively to those whose homes were completely damaged.

Besides, it was decided to provide free ration, LPG refills, utensils and bedding for a period of three months, from August 1, 2024, to October 31, 2024. An immediate financial relief of ₹50,000 will be disbursed to families affected by the cloudbursts.

Around 40 people remain missing from Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision, which were hit by a series of cloudbursts on the night of July 31. So far, the bodies of 22 persons have been recovered.

Search operations are still underway at Sunni, Samej, Jhakri in Shimla and Padhar in Mandi. The worst hit Samej village, on the border of Shimla and Kullu district, where over 30 people are missing. While 60 houses were fully damaged, 35 were partially damaged in the floods triggered by the torrential rain.

Posts to be filled at Tanda Medical College

The Cabinet decided to create and fill up 462 posts of various categories in Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, including 14 posts of medical officers and four posts each of psychiatrist and clinical psychologist, 300 posts of staff nurses, two posts of radiographer, 47 posts of ward boy, four posts of operation theatre assistant, two posts of transplant coordinator, 10 posts of data entry operator, five posts of Class 4, 40 posts of safai karamchari and 30 posts of security guards.

Additionally, it was also decided to create and fill-up 489 posts of various categories in IGMC Shimla and Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialty Chamiyana. This includes 21 posts of specialist medical officers in IGMC Shimla and seven posts of super-specialty medical officers in Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialties, Chamiyana. It gave its nod to fill up 400 posts of staff nurses, 43 posts of operation theatre assistants, 11 posts of nursing orderly cum dressers, two posts of dieticians, one post of physiotherapist and four posts of data entry operators.

The cabinet decided to amend the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2015. Under the new provisions, suitable private lands available for mining in the state could be put to auction for extraction of minerals with the consent of the land owners for which 80% of annual bid amount shall be offered to the land owners.

Besides, to promote systematic, scientific, sustainable mining and to meet the growing demand of minerals, the use of machinery for mineral excavations in the riverbeds is allowed. The depth of mining in riverbeds is enhanced from existing one metre to two metres. The provision has been made to allow removal of sand and gravel from agriculture field’s up to the depth of two metres after every monsoon season and it will be treated as non mining activity. Furthermore, the new amendments allow charging rupees five per tonne as Electric Vehicle charges, rupees five per tonne as online charges and rupees two per tonne as milk cess. For the usage of materials generated due to non mining activities, a processing charge equivalent to 75% of royalty ₹140 per tonne shall be payable to the government.

To promote natural farming in the state, the cabinet decided to implement the HIM-UNNATI scheme, using a cluster-based approach for the production and certification of chemical-free produce and aims to establish 2,600 agricultural groups, involving approximately 50,000 farmers. The scheme will provide essential capacity-building training and financial assistance to strengthen the farming community’s economy. Additionally, it plans to procure natural farming wheat at ₹40 per kg and maize at ₹30 per kg.