MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

10% reservation in employment

■ and educational institutions for EWS of the general category.

Ex gratia grant for journalists

■ increased from ₹2 lakh to ₹4 lakh; laptops for accredited journalists at the state and district-level. Additional LPG refill cylinder to

■ be given free of cost under Himachal Grihani Suvidha Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana; 2 lakh families to be benefited Increasing financial assistance

■ for affordable housing, the state government will provide ₹20,000 over the existing grant of ₹1.3 lakh for house construction. The subsidy for repair of houses under Mukhya Mantri Aawas Yojana has been increased to ₹35,000. Mobile diagnostic vans will be

■ introduced to diagnose and prevent breast and cervical cancer.

Widows below the age of 45

■ will be provided reservation for admission to nursing institutions and industrial training institutes.

₹7,100 crore outlay for increasing

■ farm productivity, developing rural infrastructure, new sources of irrigation, flood control and social services. Among the new schemes that

■ have been announced are the Mukhya Mantri Nutan Polyhouse Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Khumb Vikas Yojana. Apart from that higher budget outlay for anti-hail nets, irrigation and flood control schemes, besides an increase of ₹2/litre for milk procurement price, was also announced. State to provide subsidy of up to ₹25,000 on indigenous cow breeds.

Daily wages of anganwadi workers, helpers, mini-anganwadi workers, Asha workers, water guards, water carriers in schools, mid-day meal workers and helpers, pump fitters, para fitters, panchayat chowkidars, revenue chowkidars and SPOs will be increased by ₹750 per month. Wages of part-time workers will also be raised. 50% subsidy under the Mukhya Mantri Swajal Yojana for installing 50-metre long pipes to provide water connections to poor households. Moreover, poor households will not have to pay any additional charges while applying for a new power connection. Breeding farm for Sahiwal and Red Sindhi Cows; a farm for Murrah buffaloes and a Gokul Gram to be set up. Mukhya Mantri Gram Kaushal Yojana will be started to promote rural crafts and artisanship.

Pong Area Development Board to be constituted for integrated development of tourism and local culture

Skill development programme will be started for the differently-abled under a new scheme “Navdharana”. New initiatives, including CV Raman virtual classrooms, vocational education in more schools, were announced to improve quality of education.

12 health institutions will be upgraded under the Sampuran Swasthya Yojana.

A war memorial will be constructed in Nurpur.

“Yuva Navjeevan Board” to be set up to tackle drug menace.