Himachal Pradesh budget assembly from Feb 4-Feb 27

The budget session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly will commence from February 4 and will end on February 27, an official spokesman said Tuesday. The dates were decided in a meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

The cabinet has decided to recruit 1,063 constables in the Police Department on regular basis through direct recruitment to ensure better law and order situation in the state, out of which 213 will be women constable, the spokesman said. It gave an approval to fill up 200 posts of doctors on contract basis in the Health and Family Welfare Department to cope with the shortage of doctors in remote and far-flung areas of the state.

The HP cabinet has decided to increase the incentive amount of MBBS doctors appointed or to be appointed on a contract basis by Rs 10,000 per month and that of specialist doctors by Rs 15,000 per month to encourage doctors to serve in tribal and remote areas, the spokesman said.

Forty-six new ambulances would also be purchased to ensure prompt service to the patients in an emergency. The nod was given to upgrade a Community Health Centre in Kangra district to the 50-bedded hospital along with creating 34 posts of various categories. The cabinet approved upgradation of the 50-bedded hospital, Rajgarh in Sirmaur district to the 100-bedded hospital along with creating 25 posts of different categories.

In the meeting, it was decided that Government College Bangana in Una district will be renamed as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government College, Bangana and Government Sanskrit College, Nahan in Sirmaur district will be renamed as Gaurakshnath Government Sanskrit College, Nahan.

The cabinet gave its approval to procure kinnow/malta/orange at the rate of Rs 7.50 per kg for B-grade and Rs 7 per kg for C-grade under the market intervention scheme (MIS) for the year 2018-19. As many as 54 procurement centres would be opened as per requirement of the fruit growers, the spokesman added.

(With inputs from agencies.)