The stata cabinet which was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal, here on Wednesday has given nod to several projects and amendments. In a landmark decision aimed at providing substantial relief to rural households, the Haryana Cabinet has approved the waiver of outstanding water charges, including surcharge and interest, amounting to Rs 372.13 crore. This move is set to benefit crores of water consumers in general categories and Scheduled Castes across the state.
An announcement to this effect was made by Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal during a Jan Samvad held at Ateli Mandi in the Mahendergarh district. This decision will extend relief to a substantial 28.87 lakh water connection holders in rural areas across the state.
However, this waiver does not extend to institutional, commercial, or industrial consumers falling under the Public Health Engineering department. The Cabinet has approved the waiver of water charges amounting to Rs 336.35 crore, accumulated from April 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022, for all types of consumers in villages and rural areas. This encompasses general category as well as Scheduled Castes categories. In addition, the Cabinet has accorded approval for the waiver of surcharge and interest totaling Rs 37.93 crore on water charges accumulated from April 1, 2015, to December 31, 2023, in villages and rural areas.
Likewise. In a significant move to enhance the enforcement capabilities of the Transport Department, the Haryana Cabinet has accorded approval to bestow challaning powers upon Transport Inspectors under Rule 225 of the Haryana Motor Vehicles Rules 1993. Currently, there are 114 positions for Transport Inspectors in the state, with 66 officers in the Transport Department already assigned primarily to enforcement duties. These enforcement officers will be in addition to 22 DTO-cum-Secretary RTA, 22 Motor Vehicle Officer (Enforcement), and 7 Assistant Secretary level officers. Recognizing the imperative need for expanded enforcement capacities across the state, the State Cabinet has approved the extension of challaning powers to these Transport Inspectors under Rule 225 of the Haryana Motor Vehicles Rules 1993.
The cabinet also has given its nod to the policy on development of Eco-Tourism in the state. This policy aims to harness the state’s rich biodiversity, ecosystems, heritage monuments, and cultural diversity. This initiative is a key step towards positioning Haryana as a premier eco-tourism destination, offering a harmonious blend of nature, culture, and community engagement. The Haryana government invites stakeholders, tourists, and nature enthusiasts to participate actively in realizing the objectives of the Eco-Tourism Policy.
The policy will focus on preserving Haryana’s existing biodiversity, ecosystems, heritage monuments, culture, and traditions while promoting traditional ecological knowledge, and heritage values of Haryana’s wilderness. This policy provides opportunities to promote nature tourism, enhancing the local economy and promoting sustainable use of indigenous materials and also encourages collaboration between local communities, NGOs, academic institutions, private enterprises, and various government departments for holistic eco-tourism development thereby helping such communities become ‘AtmaNirbhar’.
The state cabinet Halso has approved a pioneering scheme offering monthly financial assistance to persons suffering from rare diseases. The scheme, “Financial Assistance to Persons Suffering from Rare Diseases,” comes as a response to the increasing prevalence of rare diseases affecting families and communities across Haryana. The National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 identifies 55 rare diseases, causing undue financial strain and societal impact. With an estimated 1000 patients currently suffering from these rare diseases in Haryana, the government aims to alleviate the economic burden faced by affected individuals and their families.
This compassionate initiative was announced by the Chief Minister on May 11 2023, during the inaugural function at Civil Hospital, Yamuna Nagar. Under this scheme, individuals suffering from rare diseases, meeting the eligibility criteria, will receive monthly financial assistance of Rs. 2,750 per month. The financial assistance provided under this scheme will be in addition to the benefit being availed under any other social security pension scheme by the applicant.
