Shimla, (IANS) : With an eye to the upcoming assembly elections later this year, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to regularise the services of all contractual employees who have completed three years of service till March 31.

It also announced doles for “Aanganwadi” employees and others.

An announcement to regularise the services of contractual workers had already been made by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in Chamba during the state-level Himachal Day function on April 15.

The Cabinet meeting, presided over by the Chief Minister, also approved enhancement of grant-in-aid of “chowkidars”, or watchmen, of gram panchayats from Rs 2,050 to Rs 2,350.

A total of 3,226 chowkidars would benefit with this announcement, a government spokesperson told IANS.

It also enhanced the monthly honorarium of the Aanganwadi workers from Rs 450 to Rs 1,450 and that of Aanganwadi helpers from Rs 300 to Rs 600.

Anganwadi workers and helpers are hired by the government to run the central government’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) welfare programmes.

In another decision, it was decided to regularise the services of the paramedical staff of the Rogi Kalyan Samitis in four years instead of the current eight years.

The cabinet also approved that from January 1 next year, medical officers would be appointed only on regular basis.

It was also decided that the part-time workers, who have completed eight years of continuous service till March 31 or would do so on September 30 this year, would be enrolled as daily-wagers.