HP relaxes admission criteria for pvt technical institutions

In relief to private technical institutions and universities of Himachal Pradesh, the state cabinet today decided to lower their admission criteria to 50 percent marks in qualifying examination with a relaxation of 5 percent for reserved categories.
The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh gave relaxation and exemption in the prescribed criteria of AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) and HP Private Technical and Vocational Educational Institutions (Regulation of admission and fixation of fee) Act, 2008.
The cabinet said it would be the final relaxation and from next year no relaxation or exemption in the prescribed criteria of AICTE and HP Act, 2008 will be allowed.

However, last year also the government had given similar relaxation in norms wide its letter of October 7, 2013 and made a similar plea that "it would be a final relaxation and no relaxation/exemption in the prescribed criteria would be given next year."
The decision has come after the High Court had dismissed the petitions of Private Technical Institutions Association and Private Universities Management Association.
In other decisions, the cabinet also said that security amount given by students who have passed out should be refunded within stipulated time.

It also decided to grant timebound promotions to faculty members of medical and dental colleges upon fulfillment of eligibility criteria.

The promotions would be subject to fitness and approval collegiums of senior faculty members in the two medical colleges and one dental college in the state.
The cabinet further decided to give additional honorarium of Rs 1000 to 518 Special Police Officers (SPOs) rendering services in remote areas of district Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti, bordering Jammu and Kashmir.
This follows the announcement of the Chief Minister on his tour to Salooni in district Chamba in February this year.