The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet in its meeting here on Friday approved leasing out of land in favour of Rural Development Department for 33 years on an annual token lease payment of Re. one for setting up of Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI) in Kangra, Solan and Hamirpur districts of the State.
In another important decision it also approved leasing out of Government land, measuring 96.02 bighas, in Mauja Kahlog, in tehsil Kandaghat, district Solan in favour of Patanjli Yogpeeth Trust of Yog Guru Baba Ramdev for development of Herbal Research Centre and cultivation of various medicinal herbs, for 99 years.
It would give a boost to the health tourism in the hill State, said Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.
Massive land has been given earlier also to some private universities in the hill State and that has invited a lots of criticism. The opposition has called it a change in land use pattern of the hill State and has planned various agitations against this. The issue of why these universities or institutions are coming up only in the border district of Solan close to the plains of Punjab and Haryana has raised a big question mark.
