The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday decided to amend the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 and Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Elections Rules, 2012.

The amendments will pave the way for conducting elections to state Municipal Corporations on party symbols, provide reservation for OBCs (Other Backward Castes), provision of disqualification on grounds of defection and strengthen provisions of no-confidence motion etc.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here, also gave its nod to the Governor’s Address to be delivered during the budget session of HP Assembly.

An official spokesman said the cabinet gave its approval to provide government land on lease basis at the rate of one Rupee per month for a period of 99 years in Mauja Dhaulakuan Tehsil Paonta Sahib district Sirmaur measuring 122-08 bighas in favour of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni at Dhaula Kuan for establishment of Regional Horticulture Research and Training Station for the benefit of the farmers.

He said the cabinet gave consent to construct additional accommodation at Rest House Sundernagar in Mandi district at a cost of Rs. 3.90 crore to provide better boarding and lodging facilities to the employees and general public during official tours.

The cabinet also decided to extend Special Land Acquisition Unit at Nalagarh in Solan district and also engage staff on re-employment/ fixed emoluments basis for a period of one year from 1 January, 2021as the land acquisition work in the stretch of Baddi-Nalagarh road length of 18 kilometers under Project Director NHAI Shimla was being done by Land Acquisition Collector Nalagarh.

The spokesman said the cabinet gave its approval to the proposal to modify penalties/ fines under Section 210A of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 as well as to specific authorities competent to compound the offences under Section 200 of the Act. This was being done to ensure safety of the people, by motivating the people to adopt save driving.

It also gave its nod to extend the engagement of 2555 SMC (School Management Committee) teachers already engaged under SMC teachers Policy in Elementary and Higher Education Departments for the academic session 2021-22.

The spokesman said the cabinet gave its consent to rename Government Senior Secondary School Manoh in Hamirpur district as ‘Shaheed Ankush Thakur Government Senior Secondary School, Manoh’ as a mark of respect to the Galwan martyr Ankush Thakur.

It gave its approval for amendment in MukhyaMantri Swavlamban Yojna 2019 to reduce the burden of loan on the entrepreneurs and the subsidy would be deposited in the term loan account of the borrower and would be adjusted only after three years.