Himachal govt to set up the emergency response centre in all panchayats

The Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday gave its consent for setting up Panchayat Emergency Response Centre in all panchayats of the state, according to an official statement.

In a meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the cabinet gave its consent for Panchayat Emergency Response Centre in each of the 3,645 panchayats of the state to ensure effective response in the event of natural disasters to save human lives and properties.

To encourage self-employment and reduce dependence on conventional energy sources, it also approved the provision of interest subsidies for the establishment of solar power projects, the statement issued here said.

Under this initiative, a five per cent interest subsidy will be provided for solar projects ranging from 100 KW to 1 MW in tribal areas, while a 4 per cent subsidy will be extended for projects with capacities between 250 KW and 2 MW in non-tribal regions.

The cabinet also approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Himachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency (HIMURJA) and selected Gram Panchayats for the installation of 500 KW solar power plants in 100 panchayats under the Green Panchayat Scheme.

Each project is expected to generate a monthly revenue of approximately Rs 25 lakh out of which 30 per cent will go to HIMURJA, 20 per cent to the state government and 40 per cent to the respective Gram Panchayats.

An additional 10 per cent share will be allocated to Gram Panchayats specifically for the welfare of orphans and widows, the statement added.

It also approved reclassification of pay matrix Level-11 posts from Group-B to Group-C. With this decision, only bonafide Himachali candidates will be eligible to apply for these reclassified Group-C posts.

Post-reclassification, the recruitment process will be handled by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog, in accordance with the procedures applicable to Group-C positions. Earlier, the recruitment was conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, which allowed applicants from across the country.

Approval to enhance the honorarium of multi task workers of the Public Works Department from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per month, benefitting around 5000 workers was also given and it was decided to create and fill up 101 posts of various categories in Police Lines of District Police Dehra.

The cabinet decided to introduce a Milk Incentive Scheme for farmers supplying milk to eligible non-government dairy cooperative societies, under which a subsidy of Rs 3 per litre will be provided to milk producers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

It approved the decision to shift the office of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation from Shimla to Dharamshala. This move aligns with the declaration of Kangra as the Tourism Capital of the state and aims to help decongest Shimla city, the statement said.