The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Thursday approved the Toll Tax Barrier Policy 2026–27 and the Excise Policy 2026–27. In a meeting held in Shimla on Thursday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the cabinet also decided to extend the benefit of 26 weeks of maternity leave to female Home Guard volunteers.
It also approved the Governor’s address to be delivered during the upcoming Budget Session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
An official spokesperson said the cabinet approved amendments to the ‘Indira Gandhi Sukh Shiksha Yojana’ to provide financial assistance to daughters of widows pursuing professional courses in government-run institutions, both within and outside the state. They will also be eligible for rent assistance of Rs 3,000 per month in cases where hostel facilities are not available.
The cabinet gave its approval to roll out the ‘Indira Gandhi Matri Shishu Sankalp Yojana’, aimed at improving the nutritional status of children below six years of age as well as expectant women and lactating mothers through enhanced supplementary nutrition.
The cabinet also decided to enhance the marriage grant for specially abled persons. The financial assistance has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh for persons with disabilities of more than 70 per cent, while persons with disabilities between 40 and 70 per cent will be provided a grant of Rs 25,000.
The spokesperson said the cabinet gave its nod to create a total of 600 posts (150 posts each) of sanskrit teachers, physical education teachers, music and drawing teachers for the proposed CBSE schools. These posts will be filled through the Rajya Chayan Aayog. Additionally, it was decided to merge 31 boys’ and girls’ schools across the state into co-educational schools.
The cabinet further approved a project for modernising medical colleges, super-specialty hospitals and Adarsh Swasthya Sansthans with an outlay of Rs 1,617.40 crore. The project aims to strengthen healthcare services within the state and eliminate the need for patients to seek treatment outside the state by ensuring affordable and quality healthcare facilities within the state.
Additionally, the cabinet decided to procure modern equipment for the Mother and Child Hospital at Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla, civil hospitals at Sundernagar and Nurpur, Regional Hospital Una, the 50-bedded Critical Care Block at Civil Hospital Bhoranj, and the District Integrated Public Health Laboratory at Regional Hospital, Bilaspur.
The cabinet approved the establishment of Departments of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion at Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan, along with the creation and filling of the requisite posts.
It also approved the implementation of a Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Programme across all public health institutions in the state. This will ensure regular maintenance of medical equipment, enhance patient safety, prevent breakdowns, and enable smooth functioning of hospitals.
The spokesperson said the cabinet approved the creation and filling of 190 posts of Junior Engineer (Civil) and 151 posts of Junior Office Assistant (Information Technology) in the Directorate of Recruitment as separate cadres. It approved the filling of 40 posts of Pharmacy Officer in the Health and Family Welfare Department.
It was also decided to fill 150 posts of Assistant Staff Nurse in the Health Department. Additionally, the cabinet approved the establishment of Drug Testing Laboratories at Nurpur, Baddi and Una, along with the creation and filling of 36 posts of various categories.
It also approved filling 30 posts of radiographers in the Health Department. The cabinet decided to create and fill 10 posts of Food Safety Officer in the Department of Health Safety and Regulations.
The spokesperson said the cabinet approved the implementation of the Digital Classroom Project in 777 additional schools across the state.
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