The North News
Shimla, November 24
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has approved the restructuring and redrawing of panchayat boundaries, a move that could delay upcoming local body elections. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at the state secretariat in Shimla on Monday. The approval comes despite the State Election Commission having placed a stay on the restructuring exercise. With the matter already before the Himachal Pradesh High Court — due to be heard on December 22 — officials say the panchayat polls may be pushed back if no clear directive is issued.
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said the Cabinet had also revised the state’s disaster relief package. Families whose houses are completely destroyed in incidents such as fires or landslides will now receive ₹8 lakh in compensation. The amount offered for loss of household belongings has been increased from ₹75,000 to ₹1 lakh.
The government has further decided to raise the number of workdays under MGNREGA during disasters from 100 to 150. The Cabinet also approved the recruitment of 1,000 ‘Rogi Mitras’ in the health department and 800 police constables. In another decision, the state agreed to provide a 40% subsidy to convert conventional taxis into electric vehicles as part of efforts to promote cleaner transport.
