HP approves medical cannabis policy, land regularisation plan

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Saturday approved amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Rules, 1989, paving the way for the regulated cultivation, processing, manufacturing, storage and transportation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes.The cabinet also approved the ‘Policy for Regularisation of Certain Encroachments on Govt Land, 2026' to provide relief to landless families and marginal farmers occupying govt land for residential, agricultural and horticultural purposes.Framed in compliance with Supreme Court directions, the policy has been forwarded to the central govt for approval.The council of ministers also approved the reconsideration of compassionate appointment cases that were previously rejected by various departments. As a one-time measure, deserving cases will be re-examined, and necessary relaxations provided where needed.The cabinet also decided to introduce an agriculture loan interest subvention scheme. Under the scheme, the state govt will bear 50% of the interest burden on eligible agricultural loans up to Rs 3 lakh for farmers whose land faced auction proceedings. The scheme is expected to benefit 6,356 farmers.Approval was also granted to enhance the HIMCARE health scheme by shifting it to an insurance-based model. Eligible beneficiaries will now receive health coverage of up to Rs 7 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, compared with the existing limit of Rs 5 lakh.Under Phase IV of the Rajiv Gandhi Swarojgar Start-Up Yojana, beneficiaries will now receive a 50% subsidy for purchasing e-buses and a 30% subsidy for diesel buses to operate on designated routes.Filling of Vacant PostsA recruitment drive was also cleared, including the filling of 400 posts of work inspectors, 300 medical officers, 250 Class IV or multi-task workers and 200 staff nurses. Additional approvals were granted for 162 technical posts in the health sector and 75 assistant professor positions in medical colleges, along with 17 assistant professor posts at Himachal Pradesh University.The cabinet approved 15 days of paternity leave for job trainees, conversion of eligible part-time workers into daily wagers and a special relief package of Rs 84.7 lakh for 15 fire-affected families in Shimla district.It also approved the upgrade of the Baddi civil hospital to a 100-bed facility and the civil hospital, Sarkaghat, to a 150-bed hospital. A decision was also taken to constitute a cabinet sub-committee, headed by deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, to look into centralising and streamlining the recruitment process of multi-task workers.MSID:: 131552623 413 |