The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet in its Meeting held here today decided to launch ‘Atal Adarsh Gram Puruskar Yojna’ to encourage community participation in implementation of developmental activities and making gram panchayats accountable towards the people. Best Performing Gram Panchayats will be adjudged at State, District, Sub-Division and Block Level and Rewarded cash reward of Rs. 20 lakh at State, Rs. 10 lakh at District , Rs. five lakh at Sub-Division and Rs. two lakh at Block Level on State Level Independence Day function on August 15 every year. Evaluation of selected gram panchayats will take place between March 25 to April, 15, every year. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal presided over the Meeting.

It was decided to enhance Fixed Medical Allowance of the State Government Employees/Pensioners from Rs. 100 to Rs. 250 per month with effect from April 1, 2012, to benefit over 80,000 and the decision entails an expenditure of Rs. 14.40 crore on the State Exchequer. It was decided to enhance Fixed Travelling Allowance in respect of Male/Female Health Supervisors from Rs. 350 to Rs. 410 per month.

Cabinet also decided to enhance honorarium of Computer Operators, engaged under MNREGA in Rural Development Department, from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 13,500 with immediate effect.

Cabinet also gives goodies for assistance/pension to Ex-Servicemen and their widows as it has decided to increase monthly financial assistance/pension to Ex-Servicemen and their widows from Rs. 330 to Rs. 400 ; Second World War Soldiers and their widows from Rs. 500 to Rs. 750 w.e.f. April 1, 2012, besides increasing eligibility income limit from Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 15,000 per annum.

It was decided to adopt a Policy for disposal of cases with regard to providing of employment on compassionate grounds on the basis of maximum income ceiling. The annual income of the family of the deceased Government employee from all sources, including pension, in case the employment is to be given to the widow, shall not exceed Rs. 1.00 lakh, with per capita income of Rs. 25,000 per person. In case of son and daughter of the deceased employee, the maximum income ceiling from all sources of the family shall be Rs. 50,000 per family with individual limit of Rs. 12,500 per person. However, any family having BPL Certificate would be considered living in indigent conditions.

It was decided to create and fill up 31 posts of different categories in Sister Nivedita Government B.Sc. Nursing College, Shimla, to provide regular teaching faculty for B.Sc. Nursing College; two posts of Steno-Typists for State Information Commission; one post each of Clerk and Peon in Directorate of Land Record against vacancies reserved for handicapped and one post of Librarian in Language, Art and Culture Department, on compassionate grounds. It was also decided to regularize services of three Daily Wage workers in WOOLFED.

It was decided to construct Parking-cum-Commercial Complex at (Vikas Nagar) Shimla and at Mandi on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode, with a view to create more space for parking of vehicles in both the towns.

It was decided to amend Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax Rules, 2005, in order to make compulsory declaration through e-declaration in Form VAT XXVI for certain class of dealers of goods before the dispatch of taxable goods in the course of intra-state transaction.

It was decided to provide land on lease to HPMC for development of Vegetable Pack House in Nadaun in district Hamirpur.

It was decided grant relaxation in construction period of Small HEPs in accordance with Technical Evaluation Certificate. It was decided to shift Tube Well Sub-Division of IPH from Una alongwith posts to Jhalera keeping in view the demand in the area. It was decided to reorganize Dalhousie Sub-Division (Civil) and rename the same as ‘Dalhousie-Salooni’ (Civil) Sub-Division.

It was decided to amend Entry No. 14 of Schedule-II appended to the Himachal Pradesh Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Area Act, 2010, in order to make it more clear and to avoid its misuse by the Industrial Units.

It was decided to issue Essentiality Certificate in favour of Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, Rajgarh, district Sirmour, to open Akal Institute of Medical Education and Research and provide 50 percent seats to HP PMT qualified youth.

It was decided to purchase two light vehicles and two motor cycles to make Anti-Human Trafficking Units operational in district Kullu and Sirmour under Police Modernization Scheme; four new vehicles by replacement of old vehicles in Excise and Taxation Department.

It was decided to amend Recruitment and Promotion Rules for the post of Private Secretary (Class-I-Gazetted) in the Department of Animal Husbandry; frame fresh Recruitment and Promotion Rules for the post of Assistant Professor in Dental Hospital, Shimla; Assistant Director (Archive) (Class-I-Gazetted) in Language, Art and Culture Department.