Page 16 - Himachal Pradesh

Himachal sets target of producing about 970,000 metric tons of kharif crops

The Himachal Pradesh agriculture department has fixed a target of producing about 9.70 lakh metric tonnes of Kharif crops this season. The agriculture department has set a target of sowing maize, paddy, ragi, pulses and other food grains on 368 lakh hectares of cultivable land in the Kharif season, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. The maximum target of sowing maize has been set on 272 lakh hectares of land. Similarly, paddy is to be sown on 73 thousand hectares, pulses on 18 thousand hectares and food grains like ragi on 12,700 hectares in the Kharif season, the spokesperson said. Apart from this, a target has been set to cultivate vegetables in 87 thousand hectares and ginger in 3 thousand hectares, but due to lack of timely rain till June 19, sowing was slow in the state. Most of the farming in Himachal is rain dependent but every year in the Kharif season, a target for the production of food grains and vegetables is set by the agriculture department. This time the ...

Four killed after Himachal roadways bus falls into gorge in Shimla's Jubbal

The mishap took place in Kenchi area of Jubbal when the bus which was enroute to Kuddu-Diltari in Rohru area of the Shimla district fell off the mountain road into the gorge below

7.4 mn tourists visit HP till May, hike by 3.5%; Solan surpasses Shimla

With over 74 lakh tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh till May this year, the tourist footfall has increased marginally by 3.5 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year. A total of 74,64,184 tourists including 32,415 foreign tourists visited the state till May end as compared to 72,02,956 tourists including 23,174 foreign tourists in the same period last year, an increase of 3.5 per cent, said Tourism and Civil Aviation Director Manasi Sahay Thakur. "Efforts are afoot to improve inter and intra state connectivity through construction of heliports. Major focus is on infrastructure development like creating wayside amenities besides opening wellness centres, construction of ice skating rinks, promoting eco and adventure tourism with the funding of Asian development Bank (ADB)," she told the PTI. Private players are also engaged in advance to ensure sustainability of tourism projects and the results will be visible in the next three years, she added. Surprisingly, ...

Didn't want my wife to contest polls, but Cong brass insisted: HP CM Sukhu

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Wednesday said he did not want his wife to contest elections, but the party high command insisted she should, and announced her candidature for the Dehra assembly seat bypoll. Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur's name appear in the list of candidates released by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday. She has been fielded from the Dehra seat against two-time Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh, who is contesting this election on a BJP ticket. "I was not willing that my wife contests elections but could not refuse to the Congress High command" Sukhu told reporters late on Tuesday night. He said the party leadership had told him during the Lok Sabha elections too that Thakur should contest the elections "but I was not willing". "This time again when the High Command insisted, I could not refuse" given what the political scenario in the state demanded. He said his wife emerged as the front-runner in the part

Missing American citizen's body found in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti

Three days after an American citizen went missing, his body was recovered in a ravine between Kee and Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti district on Sunday, police said. Trevor Bokstaahlar (31) went missing on Thursday during his visit to the Spiti Valley, following which a search team was constituted, they said. According to the police, the team conducted searches at various areas of Kaza and recovered a motorcycle rented by the deceased near a deserted area close to Tashigang, but no further clues were found. A day later, with the assistance of the Dogra Regiment of the Army, a drone on Friday identified a parachute stuck in a deep ravine between Kee and Tashigang, they said. The police suspected the parachute belonged to Trevor, who was a base jumper, Superintendent of Police (SP) Lahaul and Spiti, Mayank Chaudhary said. Consequently, teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), trained in such rescue operations and ..

Himachal short on surplus water; SC asks Delhi govt to approach UYRB

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Delhi government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for water supply as Himachal Pradesh took a U-turn and told the top court that it did not have surplus water to spare. A vacation bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale asked the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB by 5 pm seeking supply of water to the national capital on humanitarian grounds. The Himachal Pradesh government told the SC that it does not have surplus 136 cusecs of water and withdrew its earlier statement. The bench said that sharing of Yamuna water between states is a complex and sensitive issue and this court does not have the technical expertise to decide on it even on an interim basis. "The issue should be left to be considered by the body constituted with the agreement of parties in the memorandum of understanding dated 1994. "Since the UYRB has already directed Delhi to submit an application for the supply of wat

Delhi water crisis: No excess water released by Himachal, informs Haryana

The Haryana government claimed Himachal Pradesh released unused Yamuna water to the Hathni Kund Barrage without detailing their June water usage

Priyanka Gandhi urges Centre, U'khand govt to prevent forest fire incidents

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to take steps to prevent forest fire incidents and make effective efforts with everyone's cooperation to save the Himalayas. Her remarks came after four forest workers were killed and four others injured while extinguishing a fire at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary under the Civil Soyam Forest Division in Almora district of Uttarakhand. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The news of the death of four employees who went to extinguish the forest fire in Almora, Uttarakhand and many others getting injured is extremely saddening. I pray to God for everyone. I request the state government to provide compensation and assistance at every possible level to the affected families." The forests of Uttarakhand have been burning continuously for the past several months and hundreds of hectares of forest have been destroyed, she noted. There are reports of forest fires in Himachal Pradesh as well, s

Himachal bypoll: Cong fully prepared for elections, says HPCC leader Kimta

HPCC General Secretary Rajneesh Kimta on Thursday said the party is fully prepared for the upcoming assembly by-elections in the state and will face the money power with unity. In a statement released here, he informed that the Congress has appointed three ministers as in-charges for by-election to Dehra, Nalagarh and Hamirpur assembly seats. The three Independent MLAs -- Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh) -- resigned from the assembly on March 22 and joined the BJP the following day. The by-elections will be held on July 10. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar has been appointed incharge of Dehra assembly seat, Education Minister Rohit Thakur for Nalagarh and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani for Hamirpur. The Congress leaders have been alleging that nine MLAs, including six Congress rebels, and the three Independents who voted in favour of the BJP in Rajya Sabha polls on February 27 and BJP tried to topple the government by using

Haryana withholding Delhi's 1,050 cusecs of water via Munak canal: Atishi

Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Friday accused the Haryana government of reducing water flow to the national capital in the last three days. Her remarks come a day after the Supreme Court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital, and asked Haryana to facilitate its flow. The apex court also said there should be no politics over water. Delhi has been grappling with water crisis this summer. "....Hon'ble Supreme Court is trying to resolve Delhi's water crisis, but Haryana is conspiring against the people of Delhi.While the case was being heard in Supreme Court, Haryana has been steadily reducing the water being released to Delhi in the last 3 days...." Atishi said on X. The minister will visit the Wazirabad barrage at 11 am to assess the water situation.

Kangana slapping case: Farmer leaders meet Punjab DGP, seek fair probe

CISF constable said that her mother was among the farmers holding a sit-in protest against the farm laws, which now have been repealed

HP: Hamirpur's diarrhoea cases hit 286 with 34 new cases in 24 hours

Thirty-four new diarrhoea cases were reported from 10 villages of Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur in a span of 24 hours, taking the total number of patients in the district to 286, an official said on Friday. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr R K Agnihotri said the 34 cases were detected till Thursday night. Of the total 286 cases, 14 patients are in hospital while 193 have been discharged. The remaining patients are getting treated at home, he told PTI. Twelve villages of Gram Panchayats Lamblu, Chamned, Gasota, Bafrin and Pandher in Hamirpur district have been reporting diarrhoea cases since last Friday. The area has a population of around 4,550. A team of the health department visited the affected villages and advised people to take proper care, he added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has sought details about the outbreak of the disease in the affected villages of the district. He also directed the health department to ensure that there was no shortage of medicines

Kangana Ranaut slapped by woman CISF constable at Chandigarh airport

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said she was hit in the face and abused by a woman CISF constable during security check at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday, the ugly fracas breaking out two days after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. The constable, who appeared to be upset with Ranaut over her stance on the farmer protests, has been suspended and an FIR lodged against her, officials said. The Central Industrial Security Force, tasked with providing security at airports, has also ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. In a video statement titled "Shocking rise in terror and violence in Punjab" posted on X after she landed in Delhi, the "Queen" actor said she was safe and fine. Recapping in detail what had happened, Ranaut said she had been getting a lot of calls from the media and her well-wishers. The constable, she said, came towards her from the side. "She hit me in the face and started abusing me. I asked her why she did it and she said sh

SC tells Himachal to free 137 cusecs water, asks Haryana to supply Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water available with it for Delhi, which is grappling with water crisis. A vacation bench of Justices P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan noted that the Himachal Pradesh government has no objection and is willing to release the surplus water available with it. The bench directed the Haryana government to facilitate the flow of surplus water released by Himachal Pradesh so that it reaches the national capital. The apex court made it clear that there should be no wastage of water by the Delhi government. It said the 137 cusecs of surplus water be released by Himachal Pradesh on June 7 with prior intimation to Haryana. During the hearing, the bench observed that there should be no politics on water and posted the matter for further hearing on June 10. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the Delhi government seeking a direction to Haryana to release the surplus water provided by

Lok Sabha elections results 2024: Key seats where INDIA could not stop BJP

Despite facing setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP maintained a stronghold in many states and secured all seats in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Tripura

32 new cases of diarrhoea in Himachal's Hamirpur, total tally rises to 242

Thirty-two fresh cases of diarrhoea were reported in five villages in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, taking the total number of patients in the district to 242, an official said on Wednesday. Diarrhoea has spread to 12 villages in five gram panchayats -- Lambloo, Bafrin, Chamned, Gasota and Pandher -- having a population of around 4,550. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr R K Agnihotri said 32 fresh cases of diarrhoea were detected till Tuesday night, taking the total number of patients in Hamirpur district to 242. While 103 patients were discharged after medication, 14 are hospitalised and 125 are taking treatment at home, he said. Agnihotri said six water samples were collected by the health department and sent to the Hamirpur Medical College for analysis. He advised people to drink boiled water and said the health department has deputed teams to visit the affected villages. A similar outbreak had affected more than 400 people in Hamirpur in March. It took the administration around 1

LS polls highlights: 'Opportunistic INDI Alliance' failed to strike a chord with voters, says PM

Lok Sabha polls LIVE: The voting started at 7 AM and will continue until 6 PM. The results for the elections will be declared on June 4

Exit polls predict BJP to maintain lead in Haryana, sweep U'khand, Himachal

According to 'Today's Chanakya' exit poll by News 24, NDA is expected to win six seats, and Congress is expected to win four seats

Lok Sabha elections Phase 7: 49.68% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7 voter turnout: At more than 60 per cent, Jharkhand recorded the highest voter turnout at 3 pm, Bihar had the lowest at 42.95 per cent

Near China border, people at world's highest polling booth get inked today

It is the highest polling station in the world. And, despite all the odds, it has clocked 100 per cent voting in the past