PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun In a major step in the direction of giving a boost to the aromatic farming in the State, the Uttarakhand cabinet has approved the ambitious Mahak Kranti Policy 2026. A decision in this regard was taken in the cabinet meeting held at the secretariat on Tuesday. Informing about the decision, the Information director general Banshidhar Tiwari said that the policy will commence from the year 2026 and will remain effective till 2036. He said that in the first phase, 22,750 hectares of land will be brought under cultivation of aromatic crops benefitting 91,000 farmers. He added that farmers growing aromatic plants in less than one hectare of land will get 80 per cent subsidy while the subsidy will be 50 per cent for the owners of larger farms. It is worth mentioning here that the State government is planning to develop six aroma valleys in the State. These are lemongrass and mint valley in Haridwar, cinnamon valleys in Nainital and Champawat, Damascus rose valleys in Chamoli and Almora, mint valley in Udham Singh Nagar, Timru valley in Pithoragarh and lemongrass valley in Pauri. The new policy will give a boost to the aroma farmers in these valleys. In another decision, the cabinet approved the proposal according to which the State government will bear the additional cost of Rs 27.85 crore in the construction of 1,872 affordable houses in Rudrapur (Udham Singh Nagar) for the EWS category under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal to strengthen the PM e- Vidya programme in the State. Under the plan a modern studio will be set up in the State for e-learning. The education department will create eight new positions at the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) to manage the studio. The annual expenditure for this initiative is expected to be around Rs 10.56 lakh. In another decision the cabinet endorsed the plan under which the candidates who have completed their Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) through open and distance learning mode under the aegis of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) between September 15, 2017 to March 31, 2019 will be eligible for being appointed as assistant teachers ( Special Education) in the primary schools of the State. The cabinet also approved the proposal of the Social Welfare department to increase the grant given to the differently-abled individuals on their marriage from existing Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000. The proposal to restructure the Uttarakhand Prison Administration and Reforms Service department.
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