The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Monday approved a new ‘orphan and widow cess’ on petrol and high-speed diesel at the state’s first point of sale. This move aims to raise extra funds for welfare schemes supporting orphans and widows. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu chaired the meeting. A government statement said, "The cess will be non-burdensome to consumers, while ensuring the availability of adequate financial resources for the effective implementation of welfare schemes for orphan and widows." The cabinet also approved adopting the national geothermal energy policy to explore and develop untapped geothermal resources. The Directorate of Energy will be the nodal agency for this project. The Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy, 2021, will be amended to include geothermal energy guidelines. Additionally, four new laboratories will be established for nutritional profiling and food testing in Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, and Solan districts. The composite testing lab at Kandaghat in Solan will be upgraded, with recruitment for new positions. Lastly, Alliance Air Aviation Ltd. has been allowed to operate 46-seater aircraft on the Delhi-Shimla-Delhi and Shimla-Dharamshala-Shimla routes, improving connectivity in the region.