Himachal sees four Cabinet meeting in four days; approves OBD quota in ULB polls

The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday (July 31, 2025) conducted its fourth consecutive Cabinet meeting within the last four days, making it a first of its kind marathon Cabinet meeting, even as key decisions to were taken, including a nod given to introduce Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation in the upcoming Urban Local Bodies elections in the hill State.

The Cabinet meetings between July 28 till July 31 were chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in which several decisions were taken. In a significant poll reform, the Cabinet decided to introduce OBC reservation in the ULB elections, slated to be held in 2026, to facilitate this, approval was given for the constitution of a Backward Classes Commission that would compile accurate data on the population of backward classes before finalising the reservation roster. Notably, the reservation policy was till now restricted to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities and women. The State’s Urban Development Department oversees 76 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Apart from this, the Cabinet recommended to the Governor to convene the Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh State Assembly from August 18 to September 2, 2025, according to an official statement.

In the wake of the widespread devastation caused by torrential rains during the ongoing monsoon season in the State, the Cabinet granted ex post facto approval for providing financial assistance in the form of rent support for affected families residing in relief camps. Families will receive rent assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) at the rate of ₹5,000 per month in rural areas and ₹10,000 per month in urban areas for maximum period of 6 months, it added.

The Cabinet meetings that saw around thirty working hours of functioning took a decision about approving a one-time legacy policy to regularize unregistered construction equipment vehicles. Under this policy, owners can register their vehicles upon payment of the applicable one-time tax and 50% of the due penalty, to be paid in lump sum. The policy will remain in effect for three months from the date of notification. As per estimates, there are 2,795 defaulter’s vehicles in the State that may benefit from this initiative.