HIMACHAL PRADESH

The Congress is all set to raise a loan of Rs 800 crore for development works though the state is reeling under a huge debt burden of Rs 75,000 crore. The Central Government has imposed a limit of Rs 3,000 crore on external borrowings by Himachal. Besides, the Central Government has restricted the states borrowing capacity for ongoing projects to Rs 4,000 crore.

The loan will be taken in two installments of Rs 500 crore and Rs 300 crore

The loan of Rs 500 crore will be repaid in eight years and Rs 300 crore in six years

The Central Government has imposed a limit of Rs 3,000 crore on external borrowings by Himachal

The loan will be taken in two installments of Rs 500 crore and Rs 300 crore and a notification has been issued in this regard. The reason cited for raising the loan is development works, but it is common knowledge that the government is finding it hard to foot the huge salary and pension bills of its employees and pensioners. The loan of Rs 500 crore will be repaid in eight years, while Rs 300 crore will be repaid in six years.

Sale of land under tea gardens may not be possible in Himachal now as the has decided to do away with certain provisions in the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972, which had left gaping holes in the legislation to facilitate sale of this land.

The Cabinet rejected a move to allow a religious sect in Himachal to sell the surplus land with it, which had been gifted to it by its followers

The issue was discussed in the Cabinet meeting but Revenue Minister Mahender Singh and Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania vehemently opposed granting any such relaxation to the sect, as it would be controversial and against the spirit of the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972

Religious and charitable institutions in Himachal have been allowed to retain excess land than permissible under the 1972 Act, which they cannot sell

To scale up the and to minimize delay in getting requisite approvals through a single-roof facilitation mechanism, the Himachal Pradesh Government is establishing an Investment Bureau in the State.

The Investment Bureau would replace the old single-window system and would be given the powers to approve investment proposals, said the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while presiding over a meeting to discuss the modalities of the proposed Bureau.

The Chief Minister said that the Investment Bureau would be set up under the Industries Department and will comprise officers from all the concerned departments to facilitate hassle-free investment and would work together to ensure that the investment cases are processed quickly and efficiently. Additionally, penal provisions would be in place for the officers responsible for the delay, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the establishment of the Investment Bureau aims to expedite the approval process, allowing investors to start their work soon after applying and the State Government would make necessary amendments in law as well to empower the Investment Bureau.

The State Government is expecting investment in tourism besides attracting investments in IT, Solar Energy, green hydrogen, and other sectors. The investments would not only generate revenue for the state exchequer but will also open EMPLOYMENT opportunities to the youth, said the Chief Minister.

The has provided free of cost treatment to 1,51,157 patients, worth Rs 144 crore under Himachal Health Care Scheme (HIMCARE). As many as 5,21, 698 people of the state have registered themselves under this scheme.

The government started Himcare scheme in January 2019. Under the scheme, cashless treatment covering up to Rs 5 lakh per year per family is being provided to the family. In case a family has more than five members, the remaining members are enrolled as a separate unit, subject to the capping of five members for each additional unit.

The hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat within the state are also empanelled for Himcare and are providing cashless treatment to the beneficiaries. A robust IT system has been developed for implementation of Himcare in the state. Himcare card holders can avail free treatment facility in 201 registered hospitals, out of which 64 are in the private sector.

Shimla Smart City Mission has dropped projects worth Rs 300 crore from its list. Out of the projects worth Rs 1,000 crore that it had funded or was supposed to fund, it will now finance projects worth Rs 700 crore. The decision to shelve several projects was taken in the meeting of Board of Directors of Shimla Smart City Mission.

The Shimla Smart City Mission is looking to complete all its projects by June 2023, and hence appears unwilling to fund any project whose work is not awarded by March 2022. The Central government has instructed us to complete the projects by June 2023. The projects whose work has not been awarded by March are unlikely to be completed by next June, 2023. Thats the reason why the BoD is insisting on awarding the work of all projects before March 31, he said.

According to affidavits submitted by 58 re-contesting MLA inHimachal Pradesh, assets of 84% legislators have increased in the last five years, while 9% have registered a dip in their possessions.

Assets of 49 out of 58 MLAs have increased between 5% and 1,167%, while assets of remaining nine legislators have decreased between 4% and 37%. The Average assets of the re-contesting MLAs fielded by various parties, including the independents, in 2017 was Rs 9.30 crore, which has increased to Rs 12.08 crore in 2022.

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) andHimachalPradesh Election Watch have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 58 re-contesting MLAs. The analysis revealed an average asset Growth of Rs 2.77 crore between the assembly in 2017 and 2022. The average Percentage growth in assets is 30%.