Chandigarh, Jan 30 (IANS): The budget session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha will commence on February 20, School Education Minister Kanwar Pal, who also holds the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said here on Tuesday.

He said a decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet.

At the start of the Cabinet meeting, a two-minute silence was observed in honour of the martyrs of India's freedom struggle.

He said as per the government's decision the Cabinet initiated by honoring the martyrs and sanctioned employment for 18 of their dependents who, due to various reasons, missed the application deadline for jobs.

He said farmers would no longer be required to pay a royalty of Rs 200 for soil extracted from their farms for personal use.

“They can conveniently submit the necessary information on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, eliminating the need to visit government offices,” he said.

He said that the Cabinet also gave approval for a loan of Rs 1,500 crore to Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation.

“The corporation’s outstanding loan, previously around Rs 14,000 crore, has been substantially reduced to Rs 4,000 crore and is expected to be completely cleared in the future,” he added.