Page 13 - Himachal Pradesh Government

7 ministers inducted into Himachal Pradesh Cabinet; total strength at 9 now

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet headed by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was expanded on Sunday with the induction of seven ministers, taking the total strength to nine. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the newly inducted ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan. The newly inducted ministers include eldest MLA Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan, Chander Kumar from Jawali in Kangra district, Harshwardhan Chauhan from Shillai in Sirmaur district and Jagat Singh Negi from tribal Kinnaur district. Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh and Vikramaditya Singh from Jubbal-Kotkhai, Kasumpti and Shimla (Rural) in Shimla district respectively were also among those inducted. Besides the post of deputy speaker, three berths are still vacant as maximum number of ministers, including the chief minister, cannot exceed 12. Chief Minister Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri were sworn in on December 11.

New members of Himachal Pradesh cabinet led by Sukhu to swear in today

The swearing-in ceremony of the new members of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet will take place today

Himachal Pradesh Cabinet to be expanded on January 8: Raj Bhavan

The much-awaited expansion of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet will take place on Sunday, according to Raj Bhavan sources. The swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers would take place at the Raj Bhavan here on January 8 at 10 am, the sources said on Saturday. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier in the day said he has handed over the list of probables for induction in his ministry to the Congress high command for approval. Cabinet expansion is possible on Sunday or later, he had told reporters here after returning from Delhi where he held deliberations with top party leaders on the issue. There has been much speculation over the names of new ministers since Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri took oath nearly a month ago following the Congress' win in the assembly election. The list has been handed over to the high command and expansion would be done only after it is cleared by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sukhu said. There are 10 vacancies in

Himachal Pradesh govt seeks 1 million doses of Covishield vaccine

The government said it is fully geared up to tackle any possible threat due to COVID virus and the basic health infrastructure is being strengthened in all health institutions

Heliports in all districts will boost tourism, says Himachal CM Sukhu

Heliports in all districts will boost tourism in the state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said upon his arrival here on Tuesday. Sukhu, who will attend an Abhar rally near Tapovan here, said efforts would be made to ensure that all district headquarters had a heliport within a year. He said clearances had been given for social impact assessments to review the effects of infrastructure projects and other development interventions with regards to the expansion of Kangra-Gaggal Airport and the government will look into the prospect of increasing tourist stay in Dharamsala, he added. Speaking on de-notifying the projects announced by the previous BJP government after April 1, 2022, Sukhu said the new institutions had been opened without budget allocation to woo voters with eye on Assembly polls. The projects will be reviewed and the institutions opened as per need, he added. The chief minister is in Dharamsala to attend the three-day session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabh

Himachal Pradesh government to come up with open policy to woo investors

The Himachal Pradesh government will soon come up with an open policy to woo private players to invest in the hydro sector, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday. The chief minister also directed officials to ensure the time-bound completion of all power projects so that the state is not deprived of royalty from these projects. He saw a presentation made by Sai Eternal Foundation, New Shimla. Sukhu also released a song composed by Ravinder Thakur and has been directed by the Congress candidate of the assembly elections 2017 from the Jogindernagar assembly segment, Jeevan Thakur. The song has been sung by Sandeep Sharma and the music was given by Anil Thakur.

Himachal: Congress should take action in paper leak case, says BJP

The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh should take action against the accused in the JOA (IT) paper leak case rather than blaming the previous BJP regime, the president of the saffron party's state unit, Suresh Kashyap, said on Tuesday. In a statement issued here, Kashyap alleged that the new government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has failed on all fronts and the latter had to address a press conference to hide his failures. He said the chief minister should remember that the JOA (IT) paper leak has happened during his tenure and that he is answerable to the public. The previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had formed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the constable recruitment examination paper leak case and subsequently, handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Kashyap said while accusing the Congress of doing politics over the instant case. Sukhu addressed his first formal press conference on Tuesday after

Himachal govt suspends functioning of SSC over recruitment exam paper leak

The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government suspended the functioning of the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC) on Monday, two days after an HPSSC employee was arrested along with five others over the leak of question paper for the junior office assistant (IT) recruitment exam. According to a notification issued by the state government here, the decision has been taken in view of various irregularities found in the working of the commission, especially the recruitment process for the JOA (IT) posts. "There has been a reported instance of leak of question paper for the post of Junior Office Assistant (Information Technology) (JOA-IT), for which examination was scheduled to be held on December 25 besides information regarding leak of question papers of posts of Junior Auditors and Computer Operators, for which examination is proposed to be held in near future," the order said. The acts of omission and commission in the HPSSC have not only eroded its credibility but also ...

BJP govt opened 590 institutions without budget, scrapped them: Himachal CM

BJP govt in Himachal, had opened over 590 institutions at the fag end of its tenure without allocating budget and adequate staff and all such institutions will be scrapped till reviewed, CM said

Himachal govt to probe scam in pipe purchase, recruitment during BJP-rule

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday said the government may form a commission to probe the purchase of pipes and recruitment of employees in the state's Jal Shakti department done during the tenure of the BJP government. A large number of people were recruited without following the procedure and there is a question of purchase of pipes worth Rs 2,200 crores, now dumped all over the state, Agnihotri told The PTI. The government will test the quality of pipes and also whether they were bought at a premium and in excess to what was required, the minister, who also holds the portfolio of Jal Shakti Vibhag, said. He said formation of a commission to probe the alleged scam in all government recruitment made by the Jai Ram government would be discussed in the cabinet. The Congress had on October 29 released a 23-page paper "loot ki Chhoot" charging the previous dispensation with acts of omission and commission during its tenure. Agnihotri, the then leader

Cabinet formation will be done as per high command guidelines: Himachal CM

Sukhu took oath as the 15th Chief Minister of the hill state at a ceremony in Shimla on Sunday

Will implement Old Pension Scheme in first cabinet meeting: Himachal CM

Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu who took oath as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday said that his government will implement OPS (Old Pension Scheme) in the first cabinet meeting.

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu next Himachal CM, Agnihotri his deputy: Congress

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu who headed the Congress campaign committee in Himachal Pradesh will be the next chief minister, the party announced on Saturday. Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly, will be the deputy chief minister, the party said after a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Sukhu, the 58-year-old MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district, was elected the the CLP leader and will take oath as chief minister Sunday, the party said. In a meeting Friday evening, the MLAs had unanimously passed a resolution authorising the party president to pick the legislature party leader. The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday. Sukhu, a former president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, is a four-term legislator and is considered close to party leader Rahul Gandhi, they said. He was known as a detractor of ..

Himachal election results: Cong wins battle of tradition, faces CM hurdle

Locals say two factors played an invisible role in the BJP's defeat: one, the turnout of women in this time was 17% higher; second, the Agnivir scheme in a state that sends a large number of soldiers

Respect mandate, going to hand over my resignation to governor: Himachal CM

With the Congress set to cross the majority mark in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur Thursday said he respects the mandate and was going to hand over his resignation to the governor. "I respect the mandate. In a short while, I am going to hand over my resignation to the governor," Thakur told reporters here. The Congress on Thursday appeared to be heading to achieve majority in Himachal Pradesh as it surged ahead of the BJP, winning 16 seats and leading in 23 others. According to the latest results and trends, the ruling BJP had registered a win on 13 seats and was leading in as many others. Three Independents have also emerged victorious. Himachal Pradesh has not voted any incumbent government to power since 1985.

HP CM Thakur should clarify why BJP is against old pension scheme: Gehlot

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot Wednesday said his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Jai Ram Thakur should clarify "why the BJP is against old pension scheme" which gives social security to government employees. Gehlot said his government has restored the old pension scheme in the state from April 4, 2022. For this, necessary changes have been made in the pension rules, he said. "Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has made an unfortunate statement that the old pension scheme has not been implemented in Rajasthan. "After the implementation of the old pension scheme in Rajasthan, pension cases of more than 100 personnel have been settled," he said in a statement. Thakur should remember that then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA government had introduced the New Pension Scheme (NPS) replacing the old pension scheme for personnel appointed on and after January 1, 2004, "which created a feeling of insecurity among the employees and they started worrying about the .

Himachal goes to polls on November 12; announcement for Gujarat later

A new actor in Himachal Pradesh is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Circular on requirement of certificate to cover Modi's event withdrawn

The notification that was issued earlier mandating certification of antecedent for the journalists to cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi's event in Himachal Pradesh on October 5 has been withdrawn

Himachal govt restricts trekking in high-altitude tracks from Sep 15

The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday restricted treks in high-altitude tracks above 15,000 feet from September 15 in the wake of the incidents in Kinnaur and Kullu districts. In a letter to deputy commissioners, state disaster management director Sudesh Mokhta stated, "As per the advice of the experts, the suitable timing for trekking events is advised from 1st May to 15 September for high-altitude tracks (above 15,000 feet)." Deputy commissioners (DCs) are the chairpersons of the district disaster management authority (DDMA) Mokhta urged the DCs to review the situation and put restrictions with effect from September 15 on trekking activities in treks above 15,000 feet, along with high peaks or passes that have a history of trekking-related accidents, in their respective jurisdictions. A trekker died, another was injured and three porters went missing at Khimlog Pass in Chitkul in Kinnaur district earlier this month. Four climbers from West Bengal scaling Mt Ali Ratni Tibba in

Himachal Pradesh Assembly to discuss no-confidence motion against BJP govt

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday will discuss a no-confidence motion brought by the Congress and the CPM against the Jai Ram Thakur-led state government