Amendment in Uttarakhand Tourism Policy

• 24 Jun 2024

Why in News?

Recently, The Uttarakhand cabinet approved an amendment in the state’s 2018 tourism policy, specifying the period during which different industries will get State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) compensations.

Key Points

• According to the amendment, A, B and B+ category industries in Uttarakhand will get 100% SGST compensation for five years, after which they will get it at the rate of 90, 75 and 75% respectively for the next five years.
  • Large, mega and ultra-mega projects will get an SGST compensation of 30 and 50% respectively for 10 years.
• The Uttarakhand Tourism Policy 2018 aimed to establish a single-window clearance system for investors in the sector.
  • However, the period for providing SGST compensation to various industries in the state was not specified.
• The state cabinet also decided to:
  • Extend the service period of specialist doctors till they attain the age of 65 years.
  • Introduce a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority Bill, 2024 in the state Assembly for the development, operation and maintenance of the urban transport system.
  • Amend the cooperative committee rules, reserving 33% posts in its management committees for women.
  • Relocate the families living around the Mahasu Devta temple.

Mahasu Devta Temple

• It is located on the Tyuni-Mori road at Hanol, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand and was built in the 9^th century.
• The temple is dedicated to Mahasu Devta. It was constructed in the Kath-Kuni or Koti-Banal style of architecture.
• It is included in the Archaeological Survey of India's list of the ancient temples in the Dehradun circle, Uttarakhand.