Dehradun, Aug 27 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made several populist announcements in the state Assembly here on Friday, including distribution of tablet computers among the students of government degree colleges, a one-time cash incentive to the revenue and police department employees in view of COVID-19 and a one-year relaxation in the upper-age limit for applicants for group "B" posts.

Around one lakh students of government degree colleges in the state will be given tablet computers on the lines of the facility already announced for the students of classes 10 and 12, Dhami said on the fifth day of the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly.

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It will cost the state government Rs 100 crore, he added.

A cut of Rs 1 crore on the annual funds granted to MLAs in view of COVID-19 will also remain in place this year, the chief minister said.

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Appropriate steps will be taken to waive the house tax for the retired defence personnel living in cantonment boards, he said.

A committee headed by former chief secretary Subhash Kumar will be set up to look into the issue of land use about which apprehensions have been expressed and draft a law, which is in the interest of the people of the state, Dhami said.

The committee will listen to all sides and draft a policy that does not put hurdles in the way of the state's industrial development and helps stop migration from the hills, he added.

The chief minister also announced a one-time cash incentive of Rs 10,000 each for constables, head constables, sub-inspectors and inspectors of the police department in recognition of their commendable work during the two waves of the coronavirus pandemic.

A one-time cash incentive of the same amount will also be given to the patwaris, lekhpals, revenue inspectors and naib tehsildars of the revenue department, gram vikas adhikaris, gram panchayat vikas adhilkaris and sahayak vikas adhikaris, he said.

The state government had earlier announced a one-year relaxation in the upper age limit for applicants for group "C" posts, which has now been extended to those applying for group "B" posts, Dhami said, adding that an order in this regard was issued on Friday.

An "admission fortnight" will be held in all government schools, including the Atal Utkrisht Vidyalayas from September 1 to 14 and it will be followed up by a welcome programme for the new entrants on September 15, he said.

Separate toilets will be built for girls in all schools, the chief minister said.

He also announced a hike in the Shivanand Nautiyal scholarship for meritorious students from Rs 250 to Rs 1,500 per month and increasing the number of beneficiaries of the scholarship from 11 to 100.

The amount of Rs 150 per month being given to meritorious students under the Sridev Suman state scholarship will also be increased to Rs 1,000.

(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)