UTC to purchase 100 new BS -VI buses, hike in uniform allowance of drivers
PNS | DEHRADUN
In a significant decision, the Uttarakhand cabinet approved the regulations of Uttarakhand housing policy on Wednesday. In the meeting of the cabinet chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami many important decisions were taken. In the housing policy, the State cabinet decided to increase the annual income criteria for the people in the economically weaker section (EWS) from existing Rs three lakh to Rs five lakh per year and such people will be able to purchase houses at Rs nine lakhs. People with annual income of Rs five lakh to Rs nine lakhs will be eligible for houses under low income group (LIG) category and here the flat will cost them Rs 14 lakh. The low middle income group (LMIG) flats will cost Rs 25 lakh and the people in the income group Rs nine to 12 lakh per year will be included in this category. Informing about the cabinet decision the secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said that the builders will be able to decide the rates of houses for the State government for the people in the MIG and HIG category. The government will also provide subsidy upto Rs two lakhs to the builders.
The cabinet also approved the proposal of the transport department for purchase of 100 new buses of BS- VI model. The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) will take a loan of Rs 34.90 crore for purchasing these buses and the State government will pay the interest amount of the loan.
The cabinet approved the Uttarakhand State cooperatives committee election (amendment) regulation- 2024 which granted one time relaxation to the women members for being eligible to take part in the election process. In another decision, the State cabinet increased the uniform allowance for the drivers (other than those deployed in secretariat) to Rs 3,000 per year. The decision will benefit more than 2,000 drivers of the State government.
In another decision, the cabinet approved the proposal of giving notional increment to the employees retiring on June 30 and December 31. The annual increments in the salaries of the employees are effective from January 01 and July 01 every year. The decision of notional increment will help in increased pension benefit for the employees retiring on June 30 and December 31.
The cabinet approved the proposal to make the Panchayati Raj department as nodal agency for construction and maintenance of cow shelters in rural areas while in urban areas the Urban Development department will be the nodal agency for the purpose.
The cabinet endorsed the proposal to set up Uttarakhand Transgender person’s welfare board in the State. It also decided to include the 23 day strike period of the revenue inspectors and Lekhpals in the earned leave. In another decision, the cabinet decided that the minimum support price (MSP) of C grade apple at Rs 13 per kg while the MSP for pear (gola) will be Rs seven per kg.
The decision of CM Dhami taken by deviation on providing 50 per cent subsidy in the electricity bills of consumers using less than 100 units per month and to the consumers residing in snow bound areas (altitude more than 9,000 feet) having less than 200 unit consumption per month was placed before the cabinet. It was decided that a penalty twice the subsidy given will be imposed on the consumers who are found to be involved in reduction in power usage by splitting their household connection.
The proposal of the higher education department to take the meritorious students on an educational tour of prominent educational and research institutes of the country was also approved by the State cabinet. Similarly it also approved the proposal to the department to take the teachers deployed in the colleges of the State on tour and training programmes in prominent institutes such as IITs, IIMs and Indian Institute of Sciences.
