Shimla, July 20
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Monday approved a series of welfare, healthcare, education and infrastructure measures, including a hike in stipends for postgraduate medical students, an increase in ASHA workers’ honorarium, creation of hundreds of government posts and key policy reforms.
In a major boost to the healthcare sector, the Cabinet approved Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) for super-specialist faculty members with recognised DM, M.Ch. and DrNB qualifications under the Department of Medical Education. It also increased the monthly stipend for postgraduate medical students to ₹50,000, ₹60,000 and ₹65,000 for first, second and third-year students, respectively.
Teachers receiving National and State Awards will now receive enhanced cash rewards of ₹1.5 lakh and ₹1 lakh, respectively. However, the Cabinet decided that awardee teachers will no longer be granted service extensions.
The Cabinet approved a ₹1,000 monthly hike in the honorarium of ASHA workers, raising it from ₹5,800 to ₹6,800, effective from April 1, 2026. Nambardars will also receive an enhanced monthly honorarium of ₹5,000, up from ₹4,500.
Among the major recruitment decisions, the Cabinet approved filling 400 Multi-Task Worker posts in Gram Panchayats, engaging 3,950 personnel in government senior secondary schools, recruiting 200 Junior Office Assistant (Library) posts, 280 Job Trainee Technical Assistants for Panchayats and several other posts across health, police, education, fisheries, sports and planning departments.
To strengthen medical education, new B.Sc. Medical Technology (Radiotherapy Technologist) and Bachelor of Radiation Therapy Technology courses with 30 seats each will be introduced at IGMC Shimla and Dr. RPGMC Tanda. The Cabinet also approved establishing an All India Institute of Ayurveda at Dhaneta in Hamirpur district.
The Cabinet also cleared amendments to the postgraduate and super-speciality policy, offering field-posting exemptions to doctors serving at AIMSS Chamiyana and selected medical colleges for six years.
In the fisheries sector, the government approved multiple subsidy schemes, including 70% subsidy on fishing boats, 90% subsidy on fishing gear, cold chain infrastructure support and the launch of the Mukhya Mantri Machhuara Samman Nidhi Scheme, providing ₹3,500 assistance to eligible reservoir fishermen families during the closed fishing season.
Infrastructure decisions included approval for a Multipurpose Commercial Complex at Vikasnagar, Shimla, the Road Safety Audit Policy, shifting the PWD Division No. 2 office to Jagatkhana, and permission for the development of Jathia Devi Mountain City in Shimla Hills.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Mukhya Mantri Bal Paushtik Aahar Yojana, under which government school students from Nursery to Class VIII will receive a boiled egg or seasonal fruit twice a week under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Other key decisions include upgrading CHC Koti into a 10-bedded health institution, establishing a Fire Post at Badoh, increasing the War Jagir Grant to ₹10,000, granting a one-year upper age relaxation for recruitment to 800 police constable posts, and enhancing the capacity of the Fozal Hydroelectric Project from 9 MW to 16 MW.
The Cabinet also approved the creation of several new posts across departments, expansion of sports infrastructure, strengthening dialysis and gastrointestinal surgery services, and multiple governance reforms aimed at improving public service delivery across the state.
