Class VI, VII regular teaching from February 15 in Himachal

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 5

The state Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here today decided to start regular teaching for students of Class VI and VII in schools from February 15. However, the service of mid-day meal would remain suspended till March 31.

All government educational institutions in Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district would be allowed to reopen from February 8; these institutions were closed after a large number of teachers tested positive for Covid. However, if any teacher or employee or student is found Covid-19 positive in any educational institution of the state, that institution would be closed for 48 hours and would reopen after proper sanitisation, as per the protocol.

No mid-day meal to be served in schools till March 31

• Students of standard first to fourth to attend online classes at their homes
• All government educational institutions in Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district would be allowed to reopen from February 8
• The service of mid-day meal to remain suspended till March 31
• Students to be provided dry ration and the cooking cost to be transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiaries or their guardians
• 150 posts of drivers or operators in the PWD to be filled through the process of limited direct recruitment
• Water Sports & Allied Activities Rules approved

It was decided that the new academic session 2021-22 would begin on April 1. The students of standard first to fourth would attend online classes at their homes. Instead of serving cooked mid-day meals in schools, all students would be provided dry ration and the cooking cost would be transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries or their guardians.

The Cabinet also decided to allot 20 kanals and one marla of the Industries Department at Tahliwal in Una district on lease to the Haroli Industrial Infrastructure Development Society for 30 years at one rupee per square metre annually for setting up a general engineering cluster.

The Cabinet gave nod to the deployment of 30 Home Guard volunteers on a daily basis in Baddi to strengthen law, and order and the traffic system.

It also gave its consent to framing the Himachal Pradesh Taxation (on Certain Goods Carried by Road) Rules 2021 by repealing the Himachal Pradesh Taxation (on Certain Goods Carried by Road) Rules, 1993 to make the payments of all taxes, demand or any other sum through the electronic mode, besides manually.

It decided to provide one modern ambulance in every medical college of the state for three months to be operated through M/s GVK EMRI. The Cabinet decided to notify the draft Right of Way Policy-2021 to set out a transparent and time-bound process for giving the right of way approvals to set up telecom infrastructure. It would also help in implementing ease of doing business in the telecom sector.

It approved the Himachal Pradesh Water Sports and Allied Activities Draft Rules, 2021 and the Himachal Pradesh Miscellaneous Adventure Activities (Amendment) Rules, 2021. It also okayed the Himachal Pradesh Aero Sports Rules-2020 to promote aero sports activities.

The Cabinet also decided to hold the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha from February 26 to March 20.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also holds the Finance Ministry, said the Budget for 2021-22 would be presented in the Assembly on March 6. There would be 17 sittings in the session.