Uttarakhand

• 05 Dec 2023

Major decisions of the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami

Why in News?

In the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on December 4, 2023, many other important decisions were taken along with approving the 'Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojana' to connect 3177 villages with population less than 250 with main roads.

Key Points:

• The Cabinet has given permission to the Secondary Education Department to hire assistant teachers and lecturers on a per-inspection basis. 1500 to 2000 such teachers can be hired.
• The Cabinet has decided to provide benefits to 35088 daughters who were deprived of the benefits of 'Kanyadhan Yojana' despite their applications from 2009 to 2016-17. They will get the amount at the rate of Rs 15,000. The government will spend Rs 52 crore 63 lakh on this.
• 559 excellent schools will be established in the state to provide modern and quality education to the students. Such a school will be selected as an excellent school, which is within 15 km. More and more government high schools & government inter colleges should operate within the periphery. Amount of Rs 240 crore will be spent on this.
• An incentive policy has been approved for construction of helipads on private land where government land is not available. Under the policy, 50 percent grant will be given on construction of the helipad. Land can also be given on lease.
• The Cabinet has approved the policy of Virtual Registry. Under this, online registration can now be done sitting at home. The person will not need to come to the office.
• The Cabinet has approved the structure of 950-950 posts for operation of 100-100 MBBS trainee capacity in the medical colleges under construction at Pithoragarh and Haridwar.
• Now, on making a driving licence in the state, the transport department will collect a user charge of Rs 100 from the applicant. This will make getting the licence somewhat expensive. The Cabinet has approved this proposal.

State government approved the first Uttarakhand helipad and heliport policy

Why in News?

On December 4, 2023, the Uttarakhand State Government approved the first Uttarakhand Helipad and Heliport Policy to increase air connectivity in the state. This will boost tourism as well as ease emergency medical care and rescue & relief operations during disasters.

Key Points:

• There are many places across the state where helipads or heliports can be developed, but government land is not available here. For this, the government has approved the policy of building helipads and heliports on private land.
• In the policy, two options have been given to the land owner for giving land for helipad and heliport -
  • First, the landowner can lease the land to Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) for 15 years, wherein UCADA will develop the helipad under DGCA norms. For this, the exchanged land owner will be given a rent of Rs 100 per square meter per year. Apart from this, 50 percent of the revenue received from operation and management will be paid.
  • Secondly, the land owner himself can develop a helipad and heliport. For this, after taking license from DGCA, a fee will be charged from those using the helipad. The government will provide 50 percent subsidy on the total capital expenditure.
• The policy mandates a minimum of 1,000 square metres of land for a helipad and 4,000 square metres of land for a heliport. It is estimated that Rs 10 to 20 lakh will be spent on the construction of the helipad and Rs 2 to 3 crore will be spent on the construction of the heliport. If the landowner himself builds a helipad and heliport, the government will give subsidy on it, which will be paid in two installments.