15th, August, 2022

 

Topic: 76th Independence Day was celebrated throughout the State

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• The state level function was held at Sarahan in Sirmour district, which was presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

The chief minister announced while addressing:

Employees and Pensioners:

1) Jai Ram Thakur announced the first installment of arrears of pay revision to the employees and pensioners of the State Government due to them from 1st January, 2016. He said that the State Government would provide a benefit of Rs 1000 crore on this account. He said that this would benefit about 2.25 lakh employees and 1.90 lakh pensioners which also include employees and pensioners of public sector undertakings. He said that employees and pensioners had got a benefit of Rs 3500 crore due to revision of pay scale and pension.

2) The Chief Minister also announced revised pay scales to the employees working under Zila Parishad Cadre in Panchayati Raj Department of the State. This would benefit about 4000 employees.

3) Jai Ram Thakur announced that Panchayat Chowkidars who were providing 12 years continuous services would be made daily wagers.

Food:

• The State Government was providing mustard oil to BPL families (NFSA) at Rs 134 per liter and APL (OTNFSA) families at Rs 139 per liter, refined oil to BPL families (NFSA) at Rs 122 per liter and APL (OTNFSA) at Rs 127 per liter. He said that the State Government was giving a subsidy of Rs 5 per liter to APL (OTNFSA) families and Rs 10 per liter to BPL (NFSA) on edible oil.
• He announced to double the subsidy on edible oil from Rs 5 to Rs 10 to APL (OTNFSA) families and from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per litre to BPL (NFSA) families.

 

Education:

• Jai Ram Thakur also announced that to strengthen the pre-primary education in the State, Pre-Primary Education Policy would be made and pre-primary teachers would be recruited as per requirement.

 

Forest:

• Chief Minister said that to benefit the farmers of lower and mid areas of the State, the Government would appeal in the Supreme Court to exclude ‘Khair’ from the 10 year felling program.

 

Some other things shared by CM:

 

1) Literacy rate at the time of formation of the State was only 4.8 per cent, whereas today it has gone over 83 percent. He said that road length at that time was 288 kms and today it has gone to 39,500 kms.

2) Similarly, at the time of formation of the State, there were only 301 educational institutions, whereas today the State has over 16,124 educational institutions in the State.

3) The biggest vaccination campaign was also successfully carried out in the State and Himachal emerged as a pioneer State in administering first and second doses of vaccine.

4) The State Government in its very first cabinet decided to reduce the age limit of old age pension from 80 years to 70 years so that senior citizens should lead a dignified life, which was further reduced to 60 years.

5) Social security pension being paid to various sections has been increased and 3.07 lakh new cases of pension have been approved during this tenure. A budget provision of Rs 1300 crore has been made for social security pension in this financial year, whereas about Rs 436 crore were spent in 2017-18.

6) Mukhyamantri Seva Sankalp Helpline-1100 has also been launched to enable people to resolve their grievances sitting at home and about 4.14 lakh complaints and issues have been resolved.

7) Under the Mukhyamantri Grihini Suvidha Yojana, free gas connections were provided to 3.34 lakh families by spending Rs 131 crore. He said that Mukhyamantri Grihini Suvidha Yojana of the State Government and Ujjwala Yojana of the Centre Government ensured that Himachal Pradesh has been declared as the first chulha smoke free state of the country.

8) State Government started HIMCARE scheme to cover beneficiaries who could not avail benefit of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana of the Central Government to provide facilities for free treatment. He said that under both these schemes, Rs 472.88 crore has been spent on the treatment of 4.57 lakh people of the state.

9) The financial assistance of Rs 3000 per month was being provided to the people belonging to economically weaker sections of the society who were suffering from serious ailments under Mukhyamantri Sahara Yojna. The financial assistance of Rs 80 crore has been released to more than 20,000 beneficiaries for medical treatment.

10) Mukhyamantri Shagun Yojana was started by the State Government and Rs 31,000 being provided as ‘Shagun’ to girls belonging to BPL families at the time of their marriage.

11) Mukhyamantri Swavalamban Yojana was launched by the State Government with the aim of providing self-employment opportunities to the youth. He said that about 4,377 units with an investment of Rs 721 crore have been set up in which the state government has given a subsidy of Rs 200 crore.

12) For the first time in the state the ‘Global Investors’ Meet’ was held at Dharamshala in which 703 MoUs with an investment of Rs 96,721 crore were signed. Industrial projects worth about Rs 42,000 crore have been grounded.

13) Ambitious Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana has been adopted by 1.71 lakh farmers and the government has spent Rs 58.46 crore on this scheme. He said that efforts were being made towards women empowerment and they were provided 50 per cent reservation in PRIs and ULBs when he was Panchayati Raj Minister of the State.

14) State Government is also providing 50 percent concession to the women in the fare in normal buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation operating within the state.

15) Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 8.65 lakh tap connections have been provided in just two and a half years, whereas before this Mission 7.63 lakh tap connections were provided in the state.

16) State Government has taken a historic decision to provide free electricity to the consumers’ up to 125 units, besides exempting people of the rural areas from paying water bills.

17) Wages of unskilled daily wagers had been increased from Rs 210 to Rs 350 during the tenure of the present State Government. He said that honorarium of para workers has also been increased and the Government employees and pensioners have been given the benefit of the revised pay scales. He said that respectable increase has been made in the honorarium of the office bearers and members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and local urban bodies, ASHA workers, Anganwari workers etc.

(Source: HP Government)

 

 

Topic:Mukhya Mantri Mobile Clinic Vehicles

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur flagged off 10 Mukhya Mantri Mobile Clinic Vehicles on the occasion of 76th Independence Day State level function at Sarahan in district Sirmaur today.
• Jai Ram Thakur said that the State Government has given the prominence to health services in the far flung areas of the State. He said that a Mobile Clinic Vehicle service for every assembly constituency area of the state had been announced in the budget for the year 2022-23.

Under this Mukhya Mantri Mobile Clinic service:

• 10 vehicles were being flagged off to provide health services to the people of remote and far flung areas.

 

About vehicles:

• These vehicles would be administered by one doctor, pharmacist and lab technician.
• These vehicles have facilities for testing blood sugar and blood pressure besides other diagnostic tests to facilitate the people of far flung rural areas at their door steps.

(Source: HP Government)

 

 

Some More HP News:

1) The Cabinet meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur yesterday, gave its nod to develop 76 Model Health, Wellness Centers-Primary Health Centers by creating and filling of 152 posts of staff nurse and 76 post of female health worker on a contract basis.

2) Four police officers from the state were awarded President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Police Medal for Meritorious Service by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day.

Solan Superintendent of Police (SP) Virender Sharma has been awarded the President’s Police Medal while three officers namely Inspector General of Police (Welfare & Administration) stationed at Police Headquarters, Shimla, Dinesh Kumar Yadav, Inspector HP Police training College (PTC) Daroh Praveen Kumar and Assistant Sub-Inspector, Traffic Tourist and Railways (TTR) Unit, Shimla, Kishore Kumar, have been awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service.

3) The state’s oldest Kullu-Manali (Bhuntar) airport will now be served by ATR-42 aircraft. This aircraft will start its services from Monday. With the services of this 48-seater aircraft, passengers will get a chance to travel at low fares.