Shimla, Jul 25 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to launch the 'Mukhya Mantri Van Vistaar Yojna' to expand green cover on barren hills and mountains in the state to prevent soil erosion and excess water runoff.

A task force will be constituted and maintenance of selected areas will be done for seven years, an official statement said, adding the work of plantation and maintenance will be outsourced, preferably involving local inhabitants.

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A state cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu gave its nod to implement the Himachal Pradesh Nautor Rules, 1968, for a period of two years subject to conditions that the area should not fall within national parks, sanctuaries, conservation reserves, community reserves, demarcated projected forests and reserve forests.

'Nautor' land refers to unutilised land outside towns, but not in protected forests, which authorities can decide to allow people to use. The number of trees allowed as Nautor should not exceed two and it will be provided for domestic purposes only and the person shall not be involved in any kind of forest offences.

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The Cabinet also decided to create and fill up an additional 136 posts of nursing and para-medical staff in order to make the trauma centre and emergency medicine department of IGMC, Shimla, functional.

It would ensure that all the six related departments – neurosurgery, radiology, plastic surgery, anaesthesia, orthopaedics and general surgery – function in three shifts round the clock.

The Cabinet also accorded approval to the draft Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporations, Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat Maintenance of Parivar Register Rules, 2023, for maintaining proper records of families residing in urban areas.

It further decided to fill up 87 posts of different categories in various municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state. It also decided to enhance the honorarium of special police officers posted in border areas of the state by Rs 500 per month.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)