SHIMLA: In a significant move, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday (January 9, 2025) approved an expansion of the criteria for including families in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, focusing on families with unique vulnerabilities.
Eligibility will now depend on the status of the family head, ensuring targeted benefits.
Families with no adult members aged between 18 and 59, female-headed households, families with a head possessing 50 per cent or more disability, and those whose members worked at least 100 days under MNREGA in the previous financial year will now be eligible for BPL benefits.
Additionally, families where earning members suffer from chronic conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy or other permanent disabilities will also qualify.
The decision was taken during the state Cabinet’s first meeting of 2025, chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at the Secretariat in Shimla.
Ordinance to amend property transfer rules
The Cabinet also approved an ordinance to amend Schedule 1A of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. This amendment introduces a uniform 12% stamp duty on property transfer and lease transactions secured under Section 118(2)(H) of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, following state government approval.
