Himachal Pradesh Weekly Current Affairs

With a view to provide 120 days assured unskilled employment guarantee to every household of the Urban Local Bodies, enhance livelihood security in urban areas and to facilitate skill enhancement of persons engaged in waged labour jobs to set up their own enterprises by imparting skill training, subsidy linked credit and entrepreneurship trainings, the Cabinet gave its consent to implement Mukhya Mantri Shahri Ajeevika Guarantee Yojna in the State.
This would help to strengthen urban infrastructure and provisioning of quality civic amenities in Urban Local Bodies.
A sum of Rs. 25.20 crore is expected to be spent under this ambitious Yojna.

In order to boost the employability of youth of the Pradesh and enhance their employment prospective, the Cabinet gave its nod for the setting of Centre of Excellence at Waknaghat in Solan district under ADB funded programme as a specialised centre for high-end training in tourism and hospitality sectors as well as IT sector.
This will provide the students of the Centre of Excellence with international perspectives, strengthen their Curriculum Vitae and improve their employment opportunities.

In order to provide more employment opportunities and to facilitate employers of tiny and small units and petty contractors, the Cabinet gave its approval to make necessary amendments in Section-1 of the Contract Labour (R&A) Act, 1970 (37 of 1970) in its application to the State of Himachal Pradesh, in Sub Section-4.
The amendment proposes to enhance the threshold limit for contract employment from 20 to 30 workmen.
This would also help in increasing industrial investment, production and ease of doing business in the State.

The Cabinet gave its nod for amendment in Section-2 (m)(i), 2(m)(ii), Section-65 (3)(iv), Section-85(1)(i) and insertion of New Section 106 (b) for compounding of offences in the Factories Act, 1948 to increase the manufacturing activities by small units in the State by enhancing the existing threshold limits of ten and twenty workers to 20 and 40 respectively.
This amendment will encourage the establishment of small manufacturing units resulting in creating more employment opportunities for workers.
Similarly, presently a worker may work overtime for a maximum of 75 hours in any quarter.
But the amendment in clause (IV) 3 of Section 65 proposes to increase this limit to 115 hours subject to the condition that the overtime will have to be paid twice the rate of ordinary wages, so that the workers may get more opportunities to earn.

It also gave its consent to make amendment in Section -22, (I) Section 25 F(b) Section-25 K of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, (14 of 1947).
This would increase industrial investment, production and employment opportunities and further enhancement of ease of doing business in the State.
This would ensure in providing a conducive and business-friendly environment to the industrial establishments as well as to the workmen helping increase employment opportunities.

The Cabinet proposed to enhance the upper-income ceiling limit for selection of beneficiaries of BPL/priority households to Rs. 45000 approximately.
This will increase the number of National Food Security Act households by 1,50,000 thereby making them eligible for getting wheat atta and rice at the highly subsidized rate of Rs. 3.30 per kg. and Rs. 2 per kg. respectively.

The Cabinet decided to open 15 Atal Adarsh Vidyalayas in various parts of the State to facilitate the students in getting a quality education.

Himachal Pradesh Weekly Current Affairs – [May 2nd Week]