Many epoch-making decisions were taken in the state cabinet meeting (Uttarakhand Cabinet Decisions) held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun. In this important cabinet meeting held in the Secretariat, a total of 18 important proposals related to employment, energy, health and administrative accountability were formally approved. The most prominent and historic decision among these is to create a dedicated employment cell for the youth returning after completing 4 years of service in the Indian Army.
New path opened for firefighters
To improve the future of the soldiers returning home by December and January this year after completing four years of military service, the government has given green signal to the formation of 'Agniveer Employment Cell'. With this, Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country which, along with creating a separate special cell for firefighters, has implemented the legal system of 10 percent horizontal reservation in all uniformed services of the state.
This special cell will work directly under the administrative control of the Chief Minister's Office. For its smooth operation, creation of a total of 6 new posts including Deputy Director, Assistant Director and Data Entry Operator has also been approved. In fact, till January, about 1,200 Agniveer of the state are returning after completing their service. The main responsibility of this cell will be to connect the remaining 75 percent trained youth returning after 25 percent of the soldiers from the Army and Navy become permanent, with higher education, skill development and self-employment.
Gift of equal pay to Upanal employees
Dhami cabinet has also announced a big relief for the UPNAL employees who have been agitating for their demands for a long time. The deadline for the process of giving 'equal pay for equal work' to Upanal workers has now been fixed. According to Director General of Information Banshidhar Tiwari, new posts will be created for the employees appointed without sanctioned posts. The biggest relief is that the mandatory condition of continuity in service has been abolished, due to which even the employees who were out of the scope till now will be able to get the direct benefit of minimum pay scale and revised dearness allowance (DA).
Electricity agreement, Lokayukta and health reforms
For a permanent and long-term solution to the energy crisis in the state, the Cabinet has approved the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for purchasing 1320 MW power from Adani Thermal Power Plant located in Chhattisgarh. Using the coal block allotted to Uttarakhand by the Central Government, the state will get electricity at a fixed rate of ₹5.746 per unit for the next 25 years.
In order to bring transparency and improvement in the health sector, it has been decided to constitute 'Uttarakhand Medical Supply Corporation' under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, which will make centralized procurement of medicines and medical equipment for hospitals. Apart from this, the search committee rules were approved to speed up the appointment process of the much awaited Lokayukta in the state. In a change in the transport policy, green cess exemption has been withdrawn from hybrid vehicles entering the state border, although electric and CNG vehicles will continue to get this exemption as before.