The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday urged the Government of India to release an amount of Rs 9,043 crore for Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) without any further delay.

According to the Cabinet, this amount has been worked out as per the norms of the Government of India, hence its full release is expected.

Himachal Pradesh had suffered colossal loss during the last monsoon that left widespread destruction and the state government had quantified the economic losses at over Rs 12,000 crore.

The Cabinet also accorded approval to provide Rs 1,500 per month as Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi to all eligible women of the state in the age group of 18-59 years thereby fulfilling the guarantee given by the Congress to the womenfolk during the 2022 Assembly elections.

The nod to cover all the women above 18 years with a pension of Rs 1,500 per month till life, was approved in the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

The Cabinet gave due consideration to the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Education Minister Rohit Thakur to look into the issues of SMC teachers and computer teachers.

It was decided that 2,401 SMC teachers would be recruited through Limited Direct Recruitment on contract basis and they will be regularised in government service after completing a stipulated period as per the government policy.

It also gave its approval to fill up 985 posts of Lecturer (Computer Science).

The Cabinet expressed its full faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and reaffirmed that the entire Cabinet is united under his leadership.

It condemned the use of official machinery by the Government of India to destabilise a democratically elected government.

The Cabinet condemned the nefarious designs used by the BJP to subvert the democratic process.

It resolved to inform the people of Himachal Pradesh about the propaganda of BJP and said in one voice that the state government will complete a full term of five years.

It decided to rationalise the engineering staff of Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.

It also decided that officers or officials of engineering staff of the Forest Department, who are eligible for promotion as per the recruitment and promotion rules, may be granted promotion subject to availability of vacancy and thereafter their services may be placed at the disposal of borrowing departments.

It decided to create Sub Tehsil at Bharoli in Jawalamukhi tehsil of Kangra district.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to open a Community Health Centre at Darlaghat in Solan district and a Primary Health Centre at Pihari in Jawalamukhi area of Kangra district.

It decided to declare Suhi Mela Chamba and Saho Jatar Chamba as district-level fairs.

The Cabinet decided to upgrade the post of Medical Physicist in the Department of Radiotherapy, IGMC Shimla, to the post of Assistant Professor, Medical Physics.

It also decided to create and fill up one post of Assistant Professor in the department of Cardiology, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, at Tanda in Kangra district.