Uttarakhand

• 20 May 2023

16 Proposals Approved in the State Cabinet Meeting

Why in News?

On May 18, 2023, a state cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in which a total of 16 proposals were passed, including giving two years of child care leave to single parents.

Key Points

• The meeting also approved the CM Meritorious Scholarship Scheme which will provide scholarships to students studying in government schools from class 6 to 12.
• Scholarships from class 6 to class 10 will be given on the basis of percentage of marks after the scholarship exam. Rs 600 in class 6, Rs 700 in class 7, Rs 800 in class 8, Rs 900 in class 9, Rs 1200 in class 11 and 12 will be given as scholarship. Scholarship amount will be given every month.
• Other important decisions of the cabinet meeting:
  • Must have scored more than 70% marks in class 6 to class 10. 75% attendance is necessary in the examination.
  • There will be a chance to improve the result in two subjects in the Uttarakhand board examination. Apart from failed students, exams can also be given to improve their marks.
  • The fire department has been divided into 7 categories depending on the city. Each category will have separate facilities.
  • 955 BRCs and CRCs will be placed in the state through an outsourcing agency on a salary of Rs 40,000 per month.
  • The tourism department has made rules for aerosports paragliding etc., under which a license will have to be obtained after fulfilling the conditions, a fine of up to Rs 50,000 will be imposed on those who do paragliding without a license.
  • Approval for amendment to the Commercial Tax Officers Service Rules will now be called State Tax. Commissioner Tax has been reserved for 9 posts of Commissioner State Tax and Entertainment Tax.
  • The powers of the financial committee have been increased - now instead of one crore, works up to 10 crores will get approval from the committee formed at the level of the departmental secretary. Those above this will get approval from the committee headed by the Chief Secretary.
  • Approval for Bhatkhande Hindustani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya's manual.
  • To promote eco-tourism in the state, only 10% of the income earned at the eco-tourism site will be deposited in the treasury. 90% share will be with the local committee so that development works can be done there. 20% of the old eco-tourism sites will be deposited in the treasury and if an amount of more than 5 crores is collected and no new work is possible, that amount will be deposited in the treasury.
  • Now single parents in the state will be able to get child care leave for 2 years. Till now only women employees were getting this facility. Now single male guardians will also get this facility. Those whose children are more than 40% disabled will be able to get the benefit of CCL even after the prescribed 18 years.
  • According to the directions of the High Court, an officer of the Pollution Control Board will also be a member of the site selection committee for stone crusher hot mix plant.
  • The government will now give a grant of Rs.80 instead of Rs.30 per cow per day in the Gaushalas built for destitute cattle in the state; DM will also be able to give money on this infrastructure development.
  • The displaced persons of the Jamrani Dam will be given 300 acres of land at Parag Farm in Udham Singh Nagar. Its displacement policy has already been passed by the Cabinet.
  • The limits of Nagar Panchayat Kaladhungi will be expanded.
  • Nazul Policy 2021 has been extended in the state for one year.

Approval for Proposal of 300 Acres of Land for Jamrani Dam displaced Families

Why in News?

In a meeting of the Uttarakhand Cabinet on 18th May, 2023, the Cabinet approved the proposal for 300 acres of land for the families displaced under the Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project in Rani Bagh area of Haldwani in the state.

Key Points

• This land is in Parag Farm area of Udham Singh Nagar, where the displaced families will be settled. This land registered in the Revenue Department will now be transferred to the Irrigation Department.
• It is worth mentioning that about 1323 families of six villages are to be rehabilitated under Jamrani Dam Project. For this, the state government has already approved the rehabilitation proposal. Under this, one acre of land will be given to each displaced family of category-one.
• Till now almost all the formalities regarding the construction of the dam have been completed. Financial approval has also been done. The work of dam construction will be started as soon as the budget is released. After this, drinking water will be supplied to the people of nearby areas including Haldwani in the coming times.
• The Jamrani Dam project has been included in the 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana' by the Public Investment Board (PIB). This project will not only provide irrigation water to 1.5 lakh hectares of agricultural area, but will also provide drinking water supply to Haldwani city and generate 63 million units of electricity.
• It can be noted that these days objections were sought for rehabilitation and resettlement under the Jamrani Dam project, which was published in the month of April.
• The objections are being disposed of at the level of ADM Administration Nainital. A final publication will be made to hear all the objections. After this, the process of compensation and land distribution will be initiated.