Himachal Pradesh cabinet approves implementation of OPS from April 1

The employees will also be brought under the ambit of GPF and those employees under New Pension Scheme (NPS), who have retired after May 15, 2003, will be given OPS from the prospective date.

The cabinet asked the Finance Department to amend the rules and issue necessary instructions for the implementation.

The cabinet also approved the repealing of Himachal Pradesh Loktantra Prahari Samman Adhiniyam, 2021, and Himachal Pradesh Loktantra Prahari Samman Niyam, 2022, which provided a monthly pension of Rs 11,000 per month to individuals who were jailed during the Emergency, the statement said.

Another important decision was made by the cabinet to engage 780 ASHA workers under National Health Mission (NHM) on an incentive basis to provide affordable and reliable healthcare to the people.

The government also gave approval to the guidelines for the engagement of ASHA facilitators under the Community Process Programme of the NHM.

Also, HP Cabinet has decided to transfer Rs 600 per student to all girls, Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST) and boys of class 1 to 8 who are Below Poverty Line (BPL) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), and to provide them with free school uniform. The move is said to benefit about 3.70 lakh students in the state, the statement mentioned.

The cabinet also approved leasing out toll barriers under Himachal Pradesh Tolls Act, 1975, through auction-cum tender process for the fiscal year 2023-24.

A nod was given to rationalize the engineering staff of the Forest department while the services of 26 engineering staff would be absorbed into Public Works Department, Jal Shakti Vibhag, HP State Industrial Development Corporation, HP State Electricity Board and HP Power Corporation Ltd, the statement said.

Also, the merger of "excise civil areas" from Yol Khas Cantonment Board with the adjoining Gram Panchayats Rakkar, Baghni, Tangorti Khas and Narwana Khas was approved in the cabinet meeting.