Himachal cabinet clears Rs 92 lakh Mercedes for Governor amid fiscal crunch, proposes OBC quota in ULB polls

A senior official in the Governor’s House said, “We followed due process, including mechanical inspection, and sent the proposal to the state government. It’s for the government to decide. So far, we haven’t received any formal communication.”

The decision comes days after a war of words between the CM and the Governor over the drug menace. Shukla had warned that Himachal could become another ‘Udta Punjab’ if narcotics weren’t curbed, prompting Sukhu to urge restraint, saying such remarks were unbecoming of a constitutional authority.

OBC reservation in ULB elections

In a significant electoral reform, the cabinet approved reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the upcoming Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections. So far, reservation was limited to SC/ST communities and women. A commission will soon be set up to collect ward-wise population data of OBCs to finalise seat reservations.

There are 76 ULBs under the state’s Urban Development department. The last elections were held in March 2021, and the next are due in 2026.

The cabinet also recommended to the Governor to convene the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha from August 18 to September 2.

Other key decisions
• A two-year upper age relaxation was granted to aspirants appearing for the TGT and JBT recruitment exams conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog.
• One seat per course will be reserved for orphans in government, aided, and private technical institutions, including ITIs, polytechnics, and pharmacy colleges.
• To bolster healthcare in tribal and remote areas, 290 new ASHA workers will be appointed.
• Five English and two Hindi Law Officer posts will be filled in the state secretariat.
• Three Research Officer posts were sanctioned for Integrated Tribal Development Project offices in Bharmour, Pangi, and Spiti.

In response to this season’s flood-related devastation, the cabinet approved ex post facto rent support for families in relief camps: ₹5,000/month in rural and ₹10,000/month in urban areas, for up to six months, through DBT.

To monitor excise operations, two Home Guards and a State Taxes and Excise Officer will be posted at each distillery, bottling, and brewery plant, with intra-district staff rotation mandated.

The cabinet approved auction of 10 minor mineral quarries in Kangra and re-auction of 11 in Bilaspur, expecting ₹18.82 crore in revenue and a curb on illegal mining.

To promote investment, a new Tourism Investment Promotion Council, chaired by the CM, will clear proposals over ₹50 crore within 30 days.

Administrative and policy reforms

The cabinet approved a HIM BUS CARD system to streamline concessional travel benefits offered by HRTC.
It also decided to launch Phase-II of the Himachal Pradesh Sadbhawana Legacy Cases Resolution Scheme from September 1 for three months, aiming to resolve 30,000 legacy tax disputes, including VAT on petroleum up to FY 2020–21.

A one-time legacy policy was also cleared to regularise unregistered construction equipment vehicles. Owners can register by paying the due tax and 50% of the penalty in lump sum. An estimated 2,795 vehicles are expected to benefit.

The cabinet also accepted recommendations from a sub-committee led by Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani to ensure optimal use of vacant government buildings. A nodal agency will be designated to allocate such spaces to departments and public sector bodies.

Uniform water tariff rates were approved for Solan Municipal Corporation, aligning all providers with Jal Shakti Vibhag’s rates.

Lastly, the cabinet decided to exclude the Stadium Amatar and Panchayat Ghar Bela areas of ward number 8 from the Municipal Council Nadaun in Hamirpur district.