Himachal cabinet cancels 172 stalled hydro projects
The decision was taken by the chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led cabinet on Day 3 during the 4-day cabinet meetings.
Himurja is the state nodal agency for promotion of renewable energy and aims to enhance the proliferation of rooftop solar within the state for projects. All the power projects under 5MW are handled by Himurja.
The cabinet also decided to apply a uniform free power royalty of 12% along with an additional 1% for the local area development fund for all hydro projects up to 5 MW that will be allotted in the future.
A senior officer said that the companies who were allotted these works failed to start the work and took extension from time to time.
Along with this the cabinet also gave its approval to cancel 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW, previously allotted by the directorate of energy, where implementation agreements have not been signed. For rest of the projects, a time up to 5 August has been allowed for submission of the replies to the notices served. The state government had issued showcase notices to about 40 such companies.
The cabinet also decided to constitute a committee to negotiate with 14 project developers for an out-of-court settlement for the refund of the principal amount of upfront premium, without interest.
Amendments to the existing Compassionate Employment Policy
The state cabinet also approved the much awaited amendments to the existing Compassionate Employment Policy giving relaxation in annual income eligibility. As per the revised policy, the annual income eligibility criterion per family has been enhanced from ₹2.50 lakh to ₹3 lakh. Priority for compassionate appointments will now be given to widows and parentless applicants below 45 years of age, as well as to the dependents of government officials who died while performing their duties. Additionally, in cases where vacancies under the existing 5% quota for such appointments are unavailable, the cabinet has permitted a one-time relaxation of this quota to ensure eligible applicants are accommodated.
In another decision, the Cabinet has allowed engaging women workers in shops and commercial establishments to work in night shifts from 7 pm to 7 am to ensure gender equality. It was also decided to grant maternity benefits to every woman employee working in such establishments as prescribed under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.
Amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) and Minerals
The state cabinet okayed amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2015. As per the revised provisions, contractors or agencies engaged in road cutting will now be permitted to use the generated material, during the de-siltation and maintenance of reservoir projects, for captive purposes. Additionally, any leftover stacked raw material or finished product, along with the entire material generated shall be auctioned by the designated committee in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
The cabinet also constituted a sub-committee under the chairmanship of industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on the development of a 300 acre medical device park at Nalagarh and has been asked to submit its report within two months. Nod has been given to increase the number of BSc Nursing seats at Sister Nivedita Government Nursing College, Shimla from 60 to 100.
Establishment of a new BSc Nursing College with an annual intake of 60 seats at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra at Tanda, along with the creation and filling up of 27 posts of various categories was also sanctioned. The cabinet further approved the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state Government and Alliance Air Aviation Ltd. for operating flights on the Shimla–Dharamshala–Shimla route.
To facilitate the expansion of Kangra Airport, it granted a one-year extension, up to August 16, 2026, under Section 26 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for land acquisition proceedings.
Cabinet also approved the draft development plan for the Dhaulakuan Majra Planning Area in Sirmaur district.
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