Ahead of the Assembly elections later this year, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday took several key decisions, including filling 320 posts of different categories for the National Health Mission on contract. To provide relief to horticulturists, the Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, also gave ex post facto approval for reimbursement of six per cent subsidy on purchase of packaging material i.e. cartons and trays, whether procured through the HPMC or open market with effect from April 1 after producing GST paid bill of cartons and trays, sale proof and Aadhar-linked bank account details. It decided to enhance the commission being paid to fair price shop holders on the sale of sugar from existing Rs 7.57 to Rs 50 per quintal and on state's specially subsidised scheme items from 3 per cent to 4 percent of the sale rate.  The Cabinet decided to upgrade the Community Health Centre at Hatwar in Ghumarwin tehsil of Bilaspur district to a 10-bed institution and  also decided to upgrade Primary Health Centre at Malokhar to Community Health Centre along with creation and filling of three posts to man the centre. It gave the nod to open a new Jal Shakti Section at Kandi under Jal Shakti Division of Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district along with creation of four posts. CM dedicates 18 new taxis to residents of Shimla under ride with pride  Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday dedicated 18 new Innova taxis for the residents of Shimla under the "Ride with Pride" scheme of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC). He presented the keys to the drivers and flagged off these vehicles from Oak Over. These vehicles are worth Rs. 2.91 crores have been provided under the Smart City Shimla project. He said that Shimla was not only the capital of the state but also a famous international tourist destination and the Smart City project had changed the look of the city and under this scheme various steps had been taken to improve the facilities and for the convenience of the tourists and local people as well. Through Ride with Pride taxi service, better transport facilities would be available to the local residents including elderly, women, physically challenged people and the tourists at large, said Thakur. The Chief Minister said that Ride with Pride taxis were already being operated by HRTC and this service was proving to be very useful especially for women, senior citizens and patients. More than three thousand commuters were using this taxi service in Shimla city every day. He said that apart from 18 Innova taxis, 12 tempo traveler and 20 electric buses had also been sanctioned to HRTC under the Smart City project, which would be dedicated to the people of the state next month. He said that a total amount of Rs. 46 crore had been sanctioned for tempo traveler, electric buses, Dhali bus stand, charging station Tara Devi and digital payment system under the project.

Four workers die after inhaling toxic gas while cleaning tank at factory in Jhajjar Chandigarh:  Four migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh died while two fell unconscious after they inhaled a toxic gas while cleaning a tank at a factory in Jhajjar district on Wednesday. Jhajjar Police said the condition of one of the two workers who fell unconscious is serious. They were cleaning a waste tank at the unit located in an industrial area in Rohad of Bahadurgarh. The factory makes gas kits for vehicles, police said.  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed grief over the incident. "The news of the death of four people in a gas leak accident inside the factory located in Rohad Industrial Area of Bahadurgarh is very sad and unfortunate. My deepest condolences to families of the dead," Khattar tweeted in Hindi. Talking to reporters, Jhajjar Superintendent of Police Waseem Akram said, "Four workers from Uttar Pradesh died in the incident. The other two were hospitalized and the condition of one of them is serious." NSS should inculcate feeling of Nation first among students, says Haryana CM Chandigarh:  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said that the National Service Scheme (NSS) should inculcate patriotism along with doing social service among the students. Besides this, NSS should also inculcate the feeling of Nation first among Students. The Chief Minister was speaking at a one-day workshop of NSS officials organised by the Haryana State Council of Higher Education at Haryana Niwas, Chandigarh on Wednesday. Khattar also called upon the office bearers of NSS across the State to make their role more popular by playing a pivotal contribution in ensuring the reach of public welfare schemes to the grassroot levels. Khattar said that everyone should serve society in the spirit of Antyodaya. Each one of us should come forward to serve those at the bottom of the pyramid. Ensuring the well-being of the last person first should be done selflessly. This sense of service needs to be inculcated in every person. This kind of feeling keeps our society together, said the Chief Minister. Punjab upgrades fire fighting services; Minister flags off fire tenders Chandigarh: Punjab Government has upgraded fire fighting services in the state with the Local Government Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar on Wednesday flagged off fire tenders and sent other life-saving equipment to the districts. “These new fire fighting vehicles and other fire fighting equipments such as multipurpose fire tenders, mini fire tenders, quick response vehicles, hydraulic combitools, six-layer fire entry suits, and fire proximity suits worth more than Rs 16 crore, procured by the Local Government Department for the newly-established fire stations, will strengthen the fire fighting services in the state,” he said. 8 players of Haryana Police won 10 medals in World Police Games Chandigarh: The World Police and Fire Games were held from July 22-31, 2022 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In this competition, 11 member teams from Haryana Police participated in different events. In the competition 8 out of 11 players performed brilliantly and were able to secure 10 medals. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said that due to better sports facilities in the state, players of Haryana are bringing laurels to the State by performing stellar in international competitions.