The Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today decided to enhance the support price of apple, mango and citrus fruits being procured under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) from Rs 10.50 per kg to Rs 12 per kg for 2023-24, removing the existing disparity.
Grant for widow remarriage raised
The financial assistance under the HP Widow Remarriage Scheme increased from Rs 65,000 to Rs 2 lakh
Sanitary workers to get health insurance cover under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme
Wage rates under MGNREGA hiked from Rs 224 to Rs 240 in non-tribal areas and from Rs 280 to Rs 294 in tribal areas from August 15
The decision would benefit fruit growers of the state. Henceforth, the support price of apple, orange and mango would be Rs 12 per kg, bringing all fruits on a par. The support price of kinnow and malta, too, was increased to Rs 12 per kg from Rs 9.50 per kg while the support price of galgal and lemon was increased from Rs 8 per kg to Rs 10 per kg.
The Cabinet gave nod to increasing the honorarium of cook-cum-helpers under the Mid-Day Meal Yojana from Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 per month, from April 1, 2023, benefiting 21,431 individuals.
The Cabinet also gave approval to regularising the services of part-time water carriers in the Education Department, who had completed 11 years of combined daily wage and part-time services as on March 31, 2023, and September 30, 2023.
The Cabinet approved the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for enumeration, marking, extraction and disposal of salvage trees on forestland. It expressed grief over the loss of lives and massive devastation caused by heavy monsoonal rain.
The Cabinet decided that 874 candidates would be selected and trained as patwaris in the next five years. It also decided to create 48 posts for three newly set-up traffic-cum-tourist police stations in Bilaspur, Mandi and Kullu districts on the Kiratpur-Manali highway.
The Cabinet approved the SOPs for hiring of e-taxis under the Rajiv Gandhi Swarojgar Yojana-2023 by any government department, board or corporation. This scheme would generate employment avenues for the youth as the government would provide 50 per cent subsidy on the purchase of an e-taxi from October 2, 2023.