SHIMLA, June 8 — The Himachal Pradesh state cabinet has cleared a series of policy reforms, approving amendments to allow the regulated cultivation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes alongside a comprehensive land regularisation model for marginal farmers. The high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, established a controlled framework governing the processing, manufacturing, storage, and transport of medicinal cannabis.
The legal revisions modify the long-standing Himachal Pradesh Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules to unlock new avenues in pharmaceutical research and regional industrial development.
“The Cabinet approved the Regularisation Policy-2026, paving the way for the regularisation of up to 20 bighas of government land occupied and used for agriculture, horticulture or residential purposes by landless families and marginal farmers,” a state administrative spokesperson affirmed, tracking the dual-purpose economic strategy. Officials declared that the humanitarian land policy complies directly with Supreme Court guidelines and has been forwarded to the Central Government for final clearance, with projections indicating potential benefits for more than 1.67 lakh residents.
Public welfare expansions reordered the priority of state expenditure, raising the health insurance coverage limit under the Himcare scheme from ₹5 lakh to a tiered structure maximum of ₹10 lakh per family. The healthcare infrastructure upgrades include expanding the Civil Hospital in Baddi to a 200-bed facility and upgrading the Civil Hospital in Sarkaghat to handle 150 beds.
To reinforce administrative capabilities, the council of ministers authorized an extensive employment drive to fill more than 1,400 vacant positions across multiple public sectors. The recruitment allocations designate 400 new work inspector positions, 300 medical officer seats, 250 multi-task openings, and 200 staff nurse roles to stabilize regional healthcare delivery.
The administration maintained that agrarian relief measures will receive immediate funding through an interest subsidy scheme, providing a 50 percent interest waiver on agricultural loans up to ₹3 lakh for farmers facing potential land auctions. Cabinet representatives asserted that a special relief package of ₹7 lakh each has been dispatched to 15 families affected by recent fire incidents in the Shimla district, alongside a sharp reduction in mineral transit fees for local tractors to lower rural construction costs.
