Summary:
SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to name Government Senior Secondary School, Baldwara in Mandi district, as “Shrimati Shail Bala Government Senior Secondary School, Baldwara” after late Kasauli assistant town and country planner Shail Bala, who was killed by the Narayani Guest House owner at Mando Matkanda near Dharampur during a demolition drive last Tuesday.In the cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur , it was stated that Shail Bala made the supreme sacrifice while performing government duties. The chief minister had met the family members of Shail Bala on Monday.A team of officials had gone to Mando Matkanada area near Dharamapur in Solan district On May 1 to remove unauthorized construction by Narayani Guest House and some other hotels on the directions of Supreme Court . Also, generic tariff applicable in case of hydro projects up to 25 MW will be of the date of commissioning and not of the date of implementation agreement.The cabinet also decided that wheeling charges and open access charges will not be levied for hydro projects up to 25 MW capacity, enabling them to sell power on competitive rates outside the state also.All these steps will ensure that 737 stalled projects of around 5,100 MW capacity will get a lifeline and their execution will be geared up. When the drive was being launched, of Narayani Guest House owner Vijay Singh Thakur opened fire at Shail Bala, leaving her dead, and a PWD employee seriously injured.In view of the provisions of national hydro power policy and keeping in view the provisions of bordering states of Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the cabinet has approved to rationalize the rates of royalty to be applicable for the allotment of new projects.It was decided to approve certain amendments in the existing hydropower policy of the state and to defer 12% free power for the first 12 years in case of already allotted projects.The cabinet has approved that power of hydro projects up to 10 MW capacity shall be purchased by Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited. Moreover, it will be possible to allot 300 projects of 2,200 MW capacity for which there were no takers despite repeated advertisements under the old policy.All these steps will catalyze private investment in hydro power sector at least to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore over the next 10 years.Other cabinet decisionsCabinet approves major amendments to the state’s hydropower policy to speed up upcoming projectsRs 25 crore earmarked for ‘Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kissan’, for which guidelines were approved for implementation of the in the state to reduce cost of cultivation and enhance farm income by adopting zero budget natural farmingAllocate 66 MW Dhaulasidh hydro project on the Beas in Hamirpur district to SJVN Limited for implementation on standalone, build-own-operate-maintain basisRegularize the services of contractual employees, working in different government departments, who have completed three years of continuous services as on March 31 and September 30 this yearIssue ‘Letter of Intent’ for grant of mining lease over area measuring 108 hectares for setting up of white cement plant at Nohradhar in Sirmaur district in favour of FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Limited, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.