Thrust on ecotourism as HP cabinet okays new policy

BIG PUSH

SHIMLA:THE state cabinet on Monday approved the draft of new Himachal Pradesh Tourism Policy-2019, which focuses on the comprehensive development of tourism in the hill state.

The meeting was chaired by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.

The new policy lays special emphasis on ecotourism, agroorganic tourism, snow tourism, lake tourism, adventure tourism, religious tourism, cultural and heritage tourism. Apart from this, the policy also takes into account health and wellness tourism, film tourism and MICE tourism.

The policy aims at diversifying tourism activities through theme-based development, safeguarding tourist destinations in the state through sustainable interventions, benefit host communities, develop quality human resource and capacity building. It also envisages safe and secure tourism and create enabling environment for investments.

The state cabinet also approved ‘Capital Investment Subsidy’ for tourism projects in remote areas and grant for access of roads and water supply

to tourism units. The cabinet gave consent to include 428 gram panchayats of 10 districts under the integrated development projects for source sustainability and climate resilient rain-fed agriculture.

GOVT TO BUY BACK SINGLE-USE PLASTIC

The draft policy for buying back non-recyclable plastic waste and various kinds of single-use plastics including bags was also approved. It proposes a minimum support price of ₹75 per kg to be paid to ragpickers and individuals to collect and deposit plastic waste to urban local bodies.

A decision was also taken to nominate the senior-most lecturers as vice-principals in government senior secondary schools.

The cabinet also decided to

procure and distribute 9,700 laptops to meritorious students of Class 10 and 12 under the Srinivasa Ramanujan Student Digital Yojana for 2017-18 and 2018-19.

A nod was given to enhance the financial assistance being provided to the Second World War veterans from ₹3,000 to ₹10,000 per month and for their widows from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000.

The Cabinet also approved the implementation of ‘Ek Buta Beti Ke Naam’ scheme, to link sentiments of the communities to foster their commitment to nurturing both the girl child and plants.

An approval was given to fill up 17 posts of drug inspectors through direct recruitment on contract basis in the department of health safety and regulations to combat the problem of substandard medicines and regulate conditions of licenses in sales.