Page 12 - Himachal Pradesh

IMD predicts light to moderate rainfall in some Himachal Pradesh districts

Additionally, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Solan districts are expected to receive light rainfall for the next two to three hours

Heavy rain over last few days lead to closure of over 60 roads in Himachal

Over 60 roads have been blocked in Himachal Pradesh following rains in the past days, officials said on Monday. A maximum of 30 roads were closed in Shimla, 16 in Mandi, 10 in Kangra, two in Kullu and one each in Kinnaur, Una, Sirmaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, the state emergency operation centre (SEOC) said. As many as 17 power schemes are also disrupted in the state, the SEOC said. Light rains lashed few parts of the state since Sunday evening. Kasauli was the wettest, recording 25 mm of rain followed by 18.6 mm in Shimla, 16 mm in Jubbarhatti, 12.3 mm in Kufri, 12.2 mm in Naina Devi, 8.4 mm in Solan, 5.2 mm in Berthin and 5 mm in Dalhousie. Himachal Pradesh's rainfall deficit since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 stands at 21 per cent, with the state receiving 524.1 mm rainfall against an average of 663.9 mm. A total of 158 people have died in rain-related incidents during the ongoing monsoon season from June 27 till September 7, while 30 are still missing.

Best of BS Opinion: Warning signs, enabling environments and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Himachal's fiscal condition is a lesson for states in what not to do

Rising competitive populism among states could seriously undermine India's long-term potential

Over 60 roads blocked in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rains today

Over 60 roads have been blocked in Himachal Pradesh following rains, officials said on Sunday. A maximum of 31 roads were closed in Mandi, 13 in Shimla and Mandi, 10 in Kangra, four in Kinnaur, two in Kullu and one each in Una, Sirmaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, the state emergency operation centre (SEOC) said. National Highway 5 (the Hindustan-Tibet road) is blocked near Negulsari in Kinnaur district. As many as 11 power and one water supply scheme are also disrupted in the state, the SEOC said. Moderate rains lashed parts of the state since Saturday evening. Una was the wettest, recording 48 mm of rain followed by Kufri 19.8 mm, Sangla 17.2 mm, Jubbarhatti 15.6 mm, Mandi 15.6 mm, Nichar 14.8 mm, Bijahi 14 mm, Kalpa 8.1, Berthin 7 mm, Dehra Gopipur 6.3 mm and Dalhousie 5 mm. Himachal Pradesh's rainfall deficit since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 stands at 21 per cent, with the state receiving 522.2 mm rainfall against an average of 657.9 mm. A total of 158 peo

State govt to bear only 28% of Shimla's Ropeway project: Himachal CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh government would bear only 28 per cent cost of Rs 1,734.70 crore Shimla Innovative Urban Transportation Ropeway Network Project, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said in the state assembly on Thursday. The 13.65 km long Ropeway from Tara Devi to Shimla would be executed on EPS (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode, he said in a written response to a question by BJP's Sudhir Sharma. The rate of interest would be finalised after a tripartite agreement between the state government, Finance Ministry and Department of Economic Affairs and Government of India, he said. The fare for commuters has not been decided yet, Sukhu said. Tenders for advance purchases would be invited only after approval from National Development Bank. The contribution of the state government would be 20 per cent while NDB funding would be 80 per cent of which 90 per cent would be subsidy and 10 per cent would be loans. Adding the loan component, the contribution of the state ...

Explained: Himachal Pradesh's financial crisis

he Himachal Pradesh government is rolling back several welfare schemes like providing free electricity and water supply to people or free bus rides for women. Watch the video to know why.

Explained: Himachal's financial woes and efforts to regain fiscal control

Himachal Pradesh government has revoked pensions for disqualified MLAs, withdrawn subsidies, and adjusted salary and pension payments to save costs amid mounting debt and fiscal pressures

Himachal Assembly passes Bill, bars defected MLAs from receiving pension

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill which will bar the members of the House who are disqualified under Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) from drawing pension. The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members (Amendment) Bill, 2024 will affect six former Congress MLAs, who were disqualified by the Speaker for defying the whip and abstaining from the House during discussion on cut motions and passing of Budget in February. The opposition BJP objected to the Bill stating that it smacks of "political revenge" and it cannot be implemented with retrospective effect. The six former MLAs who will be impacted due to the Bill are Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Rajinder Rana, Devinder Kumar Bhutto, Chetanya Sharma and Ravi Thakur. All of them had voted in favour of the BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections held in February. All six had contested the bypolls on BJP tickets earlier this year. While

Himachal bill to end pension for MLAs disqualified under anti-defection law

Earlier this year, six Congress MLAs - Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar - were disqualified under the anti-defection law

Medical device park in Himachal to provide 10,000 jobs, state Assembly told

The Medical Device Park being set up on 265 acres in Solan district would create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, Himachal Pradesh Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan told the state assembly on Tuesday. The upcoming park in Manjholi village panchayat under Nalagarh assembly constituency would provide direct and indirect employment to 10,000 persons, Chauhan said in response to a question. The minister said that the state government will bear the entire expenditure on the project which is expected to be completed by December 31, 2025. No technical sanction was pending and there is possibility of setting up 65 industrial units under the project, he added. Meanwhile, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the state assembly that 2,708 cases of forest fires were reported during six months of the current year ending June 2024, but there was no loss of human life. In reply to another question of BJP member Sukh Ram Chowdhary, the chief minister said that out of 55 hotels ru

Met warns of flash flood risk in Himachal, 109 roads shut amid heavy rains

It also issued a 'yellow' alert of heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in nine out of 12 districts in the state, barring Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti till Tuesday

HP govt to open one model health centre in every assembly constituency: CM

The Himachal Pradesh government is focusing on strengthening health care services and the government has decided to open one model health centre in every assembly constituency, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday. There are 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Intervening in reply to a question of Anuradha Rana (Congress), Sukhu said nine staff nurses are being sent to all the model health institutions. Replying to the main question, Health and Family Welfare minister Dr Dhani Ram Shandil informed that 600 appointments of different categories will be made shortly under the National Health Mission (NHM) and there will be no shortage of staff in the model health centres. He said the matter regarding the appointment of 600 doctors has been sent to the State Public Service Commission and 37 posts of female health workers have been sanctioned for the model health centres. Replying to another question of Kewal Singh Pathania (Congress), th

Himachal mulls freebies rollback: Why is the state in a financial tangle?

Promises like reviving the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), paying Rs 1,500 to women, and providing free power have contributed to the financial strain, with the state now facing a debt of Rs 86,589 crore

HP govt signs MoU with Dubai-based firm for overseas jobs to youths

The Himachal Pradesh government and a Dubai-based firm on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for overseas placements of the youths of the state in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The MoU was signed by Deputy Director (Employment) Sandeep Thakur on behalf of the government and EFS Facilities Services Group Limited CEO Tariq Chauhan. The CM on the occasion offered appointment letters to Una's Rajat Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Jaspreet Singh, and Abhinav Sharma, and Hamirpur district's Dinesh. The Visa process of all five candidates is under process and they are expected to go to Saudi Arabia in September this year, where they will work on the NEOM city project. Sukhu said that the MoU would pave the way for better employment opportunities for Himachali youths. The CM also directed the Labour and Employment Department to evolve a mechanism to track the well-being of the candidates working abroad and suggested the use of Mukhya Mantri Sewa Sankalp Helpline 11

Himachal govt raised loans worth Rs 21,366 cr in last 20 months: CM Sukhu

Earlier on Thursday during the Assembly session, CM Sukhu said that the financial condition of the state is not good

Himachal Pradesh raises women's marriage age from 18 to 21: What's next?

The Bill seeks to eliminate the age distinction between men and women in the definition of a child, ensuring that both genders are treated equally under the law

Himachal govt to implement Bulk Drug Park Project on its own, says CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government will implement the Bulk Drug Park Project on its own and provide land and electricity at subsidised rates to the investors, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. The project worth Rs 1,000 crore aims to set up a mega drug manufacturing facility spanning 570 hectares in the Haroli assembly segment of Una district. Intervening during Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan's reply to a question by Congress's Kewal Singh Pathania on the Bulk Drug Park, Sukhu said the terms and conditions of the project would be revised after 10 years. Water and electricity would be supplied at commercial rates and charges would be levied for waste, solid waste, and steam management, he added. Sukhu also blamed the previous BJP government for allegedly failing to secure the interests of the state while signing memorandums of understanding for hydropower and other projects. Agreements for Dhaulasidh, Luhri and Sunni hydropower projects were signed aga

Kangana Ranaut in legal trouble for 'misrepresenting' Sikhs in 'Emergency'

SGPC has issued a legal notice to actress and producer Kangana Ranaut to remove the trailer of the film and for the filmmakers to issue a formal apology to the Sikh community

Himachal received just Rs 433 cr from Centre as disaster relief: CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh received only Rs 433.70 crore as disaster relief from the Centre in 2023 while the state government released Rs 4,495.43 crore to tackle the catastrophe, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the state assembly on Tuesday. Replying to a debate on damage and loss due to monsoon disaster, Sukhu said the state suffered losses amounting Rs 9,000 crore during monsoon in 2023 and that he would again meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demand compensation for the loss. The debate under Rule 130 (motion to consider policy, situation, statement, report or any other matter) was initiated by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur. Under the relief package announced by the state government for relief and rehabilitation, Rs 847.73 crore were released under the heads of national and state disaster relief fund, he said. The CM added that Rs 1,871.75 crore was given by the Finance Department, Rs 1,085 crore by Rural Development department, Rs 146.97 crore by Planning ..