Soon, pay entry tax in Himachal via FASTag

Shimla, February 14

The Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today approved the New Mining Policy-2024 aimed at cubing illegal mining and generating employment avenues. It also gave nod to filling 80 posts of mining guard in the Industries Department.

The Cabinet also decided to undertake auction and issue a tender of all points where the entry tax was being charged. This would help generate a revenue of about Rs 150 crore every year. More importantly, the entry tax would switch over to FASTag, which would help overcome the problem of long queues of vehicles usually seen at various places in the state.

In yet another significant decision, the Cabinet gave one-time relaxation in admission to children, who would complete six years of age on September 30, 2024, for the academic session beginning now. Earlier, the government had decided to allow admission to Class I to only six-year-old children.

The Cabinet approved an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, as the government had proposed to enhance the marriageable age of girls from the present 18 years to 21 years. The Amendment Bill would be tabled during the ongoing Budget session. It also gave the go-ahead to renewing an MoU signed with Alliance Air for operating flights between Shimla and Dharamsala.

The Cabinet also gave nod to a proposal for an integrated digitised platform for urban local bodies to provide e-governance services to consumers.