Various decisions taken in meeting of state cabinet on Friday
The State cabinet has paved the way for landing of the heavy lift helicopter Chinook at Kedarnath by approving the proposal to expand the helipad in Kedarnath. This will enable transportation of heavy machinery by chopper for the ongoing Kedarnath reconstruction project. This decision assumes more significance considering the ongoing tensions with China. Among the other decisions, the cabinet approved job facilitation through Uttarakhand Purv Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) also for people other than ex-servicemen and their dependents. It also approved bringing the Vigilance department out of the ambit of Right to Information Act.
A total of 30 proposals were on the agenda of the cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday. Out of these proposals, a cabinet sub-committee was formed on one while one proposal was withdrawn. However, no formal Press briefing was held due to the Vidhan Sabha set to start from September 23 being notified.
According to sources, at the administration level, the cabinet approved merger of the Agriculture and Horticulture departments. Further, the cabinet approved an amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act to remove the word ‘public servant’ used for elected Panchayat representatives. This will enable them to register for contracts. In another important decision, the state cabinet approved the tourism incentive coupon scheme to revive tourism in the state. Under this scheme, tourists visiting Uttarakhand for at least three days will receive a Rs 1,000 coupon which can be used at the hotel or homestay. The cabinet also decided to execute the Yamunotri ropeway project on the public private partnership mode. This project has been pending since 2012 due to various reasons. The state government will also reimburse the bank guarantee and land cost to the company which was earlier executing the project before a dispute with the government resulted in a case which is still pending in the court. In addition to this, the state cabinet also approved the proposal to reimburse the Rs 1.85 crore to tourists who had made advance bookings in Corbett national park but could not visit the location due to the place being closed to visitors during the lockdown put in place to check the Covid-19 contagion. In another decision, the cabinet also approved the proposal to bring in an ordinance in the Vidhan Sabha session regarding the cut in salary and allowance of MLAs in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
Cabinet decisions to boost tourism
The Tourism department has welcomed various decisions approved in the meeting of the state cabinet on Friday. Tourism secretary Dilip Jawalkar said that with the tourist incentive coupon scheme being approved, the tourists who make e-booking for at least three days will receive Rs 1,000 discount. Further, the helipad at Kedarnath will be expanded to 100 x 50 metres. This will enable the heavy lift Chinook helicopter to land here. The cabinet also approved the proposal to return Rs 1.85 crore to tourists who had made advance booking in Corbett. In addition to this, the cabinet also approved raising the height of Maya Devi and Bhairav Devi temples of the Juna Akhada.
Saturday, 05 September 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
