Shimla, May 31 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Saturday decided to fill 700 posts of Home Guard volunteers in the Home Guards and Civil Defence Department.

It also gave its nod to regularise the services of 203 Panchayat Secretary (Zila Parishad cadre) who have completed two years of contract services as on March 31.

The Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, approved an amendment to the Postgraduate, Specialist Services Policy by withdrawing the mandatory requirement of a one-year field posting before eligibility for Senior Residency at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda.

A government statement said this decision has been taken in line with the policy followed at AIIMS in Chamiyana.

The amendment is aimed at streamlining the selection process, ensuring fairness, and bringing coherence between the implementation of the Resident Doctor Policy and the Postgraduate, Specialist Services Policy.

The Cabinet also approved the shifting of the Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) office from Shimla to Dharamsala.

It also decided to introduce the Deposit Refund Scheme of 2025 to effectively manage and reduce non-biodegradable waste.

Under this scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit over and above the product price, which will be returned upon the return of the empty product.

The scheme will apply to a wide range of packaging materials, including glass bottles, plastic beverage containers, aluminium cans, liquid packaging, flexible plastic packaging and multilayered packages. It will be implemented on a pilot basis, said the statement.

As in 2010, the Cabinet gave its in-principle approval to start a de-novo reservation roster for the members and chairpersons of Panchayati Raj Institutions.

It allowed the Himachal Pradesh Forest Development Corporation to collect minor minerals and carry out dredging operations in rivers and ponds located in forest areas across the state, with the aim of better source management and environmental sustainability.

It decided to bifurcate the Elementary Education Block Ramshahar in Solan district by creating a new Elementary Education Block at Baddi, along with the creation and filling of the requisite posts to ensure smooth functioning.

The Cabinet also okayed to reorganise the Development Blocks of Sulah, Bhawarna and Lambagaon of Kangra district and Bhoranj of Hamirpur district to facilitate the people of these areas.

--IANS

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