Himachal Pradesh cabinet, on Saturday, decided to provide 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections of the society in Class-I, II, III and IV posts in the government sector.

The decision would benefit those candidates whose family gross income is below Rs 4 lakh and were not covered under the existing scheme of reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes.

The cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here, gave its nod to implement ‘Mukhya Mantri Roshni Yojana’ as per the budget announcement of the CM. Under the scheme, 17550 free electricity connections will be provided to poor families during the current financial year.

An official spokesman said the cabinet gave its approval to enhance the procurement price of citrus fruits such as Kinnow, Malta, Orange and Galgal under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for the year 2019-20 by fifty paise per kg from the existing support price to ensure the remunerative price of citrus fruits to the fruit growers. As many as 54 procurement centres would be opened in different parts of the state which would remain functional from 21 November 2019 to 15 February 2020.

He said the cabinet decided to increase the social security pension of old age, widows, destitute, handicapped, lepers etc. from existing Rs 750 to Rs 850 per month and that of old age pension for those above 70 years of age from Rs 1300 to Rs 1500 per month. This increase would be applicable from 1 July 2019. It also gave its approval to enhance the lump sum incentive money from Rs 6000 to Rs 12000 for the wards of ex-servicemen and widows of soldiers for SSB coaching for becoming Officers in armed forces.

The spokesman said that in order to promote the traditional handicrafts and handloom sector, the cabinet decided to provide additional concessions for setting up such units over and above the incentives given to the industries.

The cabinet okayed to simplify the provisions of Rule 38-A of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules, 1975 for issuing Essentiality Certificate for setting up of investment projects in the state approved by the State Level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority so as to attract more investments for the state.

The spokesman said the cabinet gave its approval for Himachal Pradesh Film Policy, 2019 which aims at promoting rich cultural heritage and scenic beauty of the State through films.