Shimla, March 11 -- Facing financial pressure following the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) recommended by the 16th Finance Commission, the Himachal Pradesh government has begun introducing a series of revenue-generating measures and user charges to bridge the widening fiscal gap.
The state has rationalised property taxes in Municipal Corporations and imposed several new charges. These include a milk cess on power consumption, an eight per cent increase in water and sewerage tariffs by the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited, and slip charges introduced by Rogi Kalyan Samitis in government health institutions.
The Town and Country Planning Department has also issued two notifications amending construction rules to allow...