Page 23 - Himachal Pradesh

High indebted Punjab, Himachal may breach BE of fiscal deficit in FY24

Punjab had over 40% debt as a proportion of GSDP in 2019-20 too, while Himachal Pradesh had 39.1%

Hotel demand surge in HP; record 28,210 vehicle cross Atal Tunnel in a day

The craze to visit Atal Tunnel propelled hotel occupancy in key hill resorts of Shimla, Manali to 90 per cent, as a record 28,210 vehicles crossed the Atal Tunnel on a single day on Sunday (December 24). After snowfall at Atal tunnel on Saturday, tourists made beeline to the tunnel and a record number of 28,210 vehicles crossed Atal Tunnel on Sunday, according to Lahaul and Spiti police on Monday. The hoteliers are upbeat as the local MeT office has predicted rain in mid hills and rain and snow in higher hills on December 30 and 31. The occupancy is around 90 per cent and the Manali Carnival from January 1 to 6, which would showcase local culture and cuisines, would boost tourist arrival in the year-end, said President of Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur. "We welcome the tourists, who have come to the State in lakhs," said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding that Himachal has stood up again after the disaster to welcome th

Himachal CM dedicates newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel to people

The newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel, built at a cost of Rs 47.36 crore, was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here on Monday. Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sukhu said the construction work of the 154.22-metre tunnel was going on at a snail's pace under the previous government in the hill state and the Congress government expedited it and the structure was completed within a year. The state government has directed all departments to ensure a time-bound completion of every project, Sukhu was quoted as saying in a statement issued here. The existing Dhalli tunnel, which was constructed in 1852, served as a single-lane passage and had surpassed its design life, causing persistent traffic congestion. With the inauguration of the new tunnel, these issues would be addressed. Tourism, a key industry in Himachal Pradesh, stands to benefit significantly from the improved connectivity. The tunnel, strategically positioned on th

HP revives after disastrous floods, tourists visit for Christmas, New Year

He asserted that Himachal will soon stand up from the aftermath of the disaster and as a testimony of fact, today the state is all ready to welcome the tourists

Himachal Pradesh govt raised Rs 13,055 crore debt in 2022-23: CAG

The Himachal Pradesh government raised loans amounting Rs 13,055 crore during 2022-23, increasing the debt burden from Rs 73,534 in 2021-22 to Rs 86,589 crore in 2022-23, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in its report on Finance Accounts for 2022-23. The loan also included the loans raised in the last quarter of 2022-23. The report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that out of the total amount of Rs 50,539 crore spent during the year, more than 50 per cent was paid towards salaries and pension and expenditure on these heads increased after implementation of Sixth Pay Commission, which was followed by Himachal Pradesh. However, the revenue deficit, which was Rs 7,962 crore in 2021-22, was marginally lower at Rs 6,335 crore in 2022-23. The expenditure on salaries, which was Rs 11,641 crore in 2021-22, increased to Rs 15,669 crore in the last financial year after the revision of pay scales. Similarly, the cost of payme

HP fiscal deficit may rise to be 5.82 pc of SGDP due to higher liabilities

Fiscal deficit of Himachal Pradesh is expected at 5.82 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), higher than projected deficit of 4.61 per cent in 2023-24 due to a rise in liabilities such as salary, pension, interest payment and social security. The tax revenue is likely to decrease by Rs 752.33 crore and the revenue deficit would be Rs 1,368.81 crore, more than anticipated, as per the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRMB) report tabled in the house by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday. Further, the expenditure on pension is likely to be increased by Rs 621.22 crore from Rs 8,693 crore to Rs 9,315 crore , primary deficit would increase from Rs 4,338.13 crore to Rs 6,953.72 crore. The government has assured to bring down the deficit by curtailing expenditure and resource mobilisation. The total committed liability of the government are projected to increase from Rs 29,88,177 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 32,34,477 in 2024-25, Rs 34,75,859 crore in .

13% decline in road accidents in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, say Police

Himachal Pradesh saw a 13 per cent drop in the number of road accidents reported in the state this year, police officials said on Friday. There has been a 13 per cent reduction in road traffic accidents, 19 per cent dip in deaths due to them and 15 per cent drop in injuries between January 1 and December 1 as compared to the same period in 2022, a statement issued here by the police headquarters said. The reduction in the number of road accidents reflects the greater awareness among drivers in Himachal Pradesh and the improvement in identifying black spots on national highways and district roads, Director General Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu said. The number of accidents has come down despite a 10 per cent growth in road lengths and a nine per cent growth of vehicle registration, he said. The state police is determined to reduce traffic accidents by adopting best practices being followed the world over, he said. A team of the World Bank has also complimented the Himachal Pradesh Poli

India's apple imports may rise after crop damage in Kashmir, Himachal

Country is the world's fifth largest producer of the fruit but rains and floods have hurt domestic yield this year

Himachal Pradesh tops unemployment chart in July-Sept: Labour Survey

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed the highest overall unemployment rate of 33.9 per cent, followed by Rajasthan at 30.2 per cent, among the age group of 15 to 29 years in cities during July-September 2023, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The PLFS data of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) also revealed that unemployment among the 15-29 age group in urban areas was high among females at 49.2 per cent in the July-September quarter of this fiscal year as compared to 25.3 per cent among males in Himachal Pradesh. in the case of Rajasthan, the joblessness in females in cities was high at 39.4 per cent in the quarter as against 27.2 per cent in males. Jammu & Kashmir also reported a high rate of joblessness at 29.8 per cent in the age group in cities. In the case of Jammu & Kashmir, unemployment was high among females at 51.8 per cent in the quarter compared to 19.8 per cent among males in the period in cities. The data showed that the overall unemployment ..

Himachal CM distributes Rs 11.31 cr to disaster-affected families in Solan

The compensation included rupees three lakh each as the first installment to 377 families whose houses were completely damaged due to the monsoon-led disaster

India saw extreme weather events almost every day in 1st 9 months in 2023

India experienced extreme weather events almost every day in the first nine months of this year which led to nearly 3,000 deaths, according to a report released on Wednesday. Published by independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the report said the climate-vulnerable country had extreme weather on 86 per cent of days from January to September. The CSE said 2,923 people died, almost two million hectares of crops were ruined, 80,000 homes were destroyed and more than 92,000 animals were killed. But these numbers might be even higher because not all the data is collected, it said. "'India 2023: An assessment of extreme weather events' attempts to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in the country. As this assessment clearly shows, what the country has witnessed so far in 2023 is the new 'abnormal' in a warming world," said the CSE director general Sunita Narain. Research indicates that extreme weather events

Goal set to make Himachal a green energy state by March 2026: CM Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said his government has set a goal to make Himachal Pradesh a green energy state by March 2026. Speaking to the media, the chief minister also said the expansion of his cabinet will take place at an appropriate time after consultation with the Congress central leadership. He said that with the aim to reduce carbon emissions, his government set a goal to make Himachal Pradesh a green energy state by March 31, 2026. He said the initial phase of the Rs 680-crore Rajiv Gandhi Swarozgar Start-up Yojana has been launched, under which a 50-per cent subsidy is provided for e-taxi purchases. He said the Transport Department has received around 70 online applications so far, highlighting the positive reception of the subsidy-based start-up initiative. "In the second phase, a scheme will be introduced for the agricultural sector," he said. The chief minister paid obeisance at Gurudwara Sahib Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Shimla on Monday on the ...

Himachal govt helped disaster-affected people by changing rules: CM Sukhu

According to the officials, in rain-related incidents in this year's monsoon so far, 400 people have lost their lives and over 13,000 houses have been damaged

Snowfall likely in higher reachers of Himachal in next 48 hours: IMD

Another western disturbance is likely to arrive on December 3-4, but the immediate concern would be the changes in the weather from November 26-27

Paddy procurement in Himachal touches 20,993 MT, surpassing 2022's purchase

Paddy procurement in Himachal Pradesh has surpassed last year's purchase to touch 20,993 metric tonnes this year, officials said on Saturday. In comparison to the purchase of 14,000 metric tonnes of paddy last year (2022), about 20,993 metric tonnes of paddy has been purchased from 3,663 farmers in 14 markets established across the state in the current year (2023), the officials said. This year a target to procure 22 thousand metric tonnes of paddy has been set and so far farmers of the state have sold 20,993 metric tonnes of paddy worth Rs 45 crore to the government, informed Joint Director State Civil and Food Supply Corporation Ravindra Thakur. He informed that against the target of purchasing 6,250 metric tonnes (62,500 quintals) in Sirmaur district, the State Civil Supplies Corporation has already purchased about 9,000 metric tonnes. In 2022, crops across the state were ruined due to the southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) and several farmers had to destroy their

3rd party to carry out inspection of 12 under-construction Himachal tunnels

Inspection and safety audit of 12 under-construction tunnels in Himachal Pradesh will be carried out by a third party and vertical drilling machines will be stationed near tunnels to be used in case an Uttarakhand-like situation arises, according to an NHAI official. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Regional Officer Abdul Basit on Friday said the safety audit will analyse all factors from rock stability to material used in the constructions and remedial steps would be taken as per suggestions in view of the Uttarkashi Silkyara tunnel incident in which 41 workers have been trapped for the past 13 days. A total of 68 tunnels measuring 85 km, which would reduce the road distance by about 130 km, would come up in the state, he told PTI on Friday. Of these, 12 have been constructed, 12 are under construction, work on 14 would start in six months while detailed project reports are being prepared for 30, he said. "We have given suggestion to put vertical pipes at tunnel ...

Grants-in-aid to be released on monthly basis to local bodies in Himachal

The grants-in-aid to Himachal Pradesh's 61 urban local bodies would henceforth be released on a monthly basis and not in one lump sum instalment or in advance, according to the Urban Development Department. The grants-in-aid of about Rs 153.64 crore was released and credited to the accounts of all urban bodies on July 25 under the Sixth State Finance Commission award. But the Urban Development department wrote to commissioners of the municipal corporations, the executive officers of the municipal councils and the secretaries of the nagar panchayats after the natural disaster in July, directing them to return 50 per cent of the grant amounting to around Rs 76.82 crore. The state finance department, vide its notification of August 8 issued economy instructions and financial guidelines for incurring expenditure and observed that departments are releasing the grants-in-aid and subsidies for state schemes either in one go or in some cases quarterly in advance. After due consideration, t

BJP's Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to start in Himachal from Nov 25

As many as 90 raths (chariots) will visit every village in Himachal Pradesh to create awareness among the general public about the flagship schemes of the central government during the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra'. The yatra will start in Himachal from November 25, state BJP President Rajiv Bindal said on Monday. The yatra was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Jharkhand to inform the general public about the flagship schemes of the Union government, he said highlighting that the aim is to benefit maximum people from the welfare and other schemes, he said in a statement issued here. He said that these raths will have various books and brochures through which people can know about the central government's schemes. Several video reels will also be available in these raths. "We urge all the public representatives, MLAs, Zila Parishad members, panchayat pradhans, councilors, mayor, deputy mayor and the entire society to spread this message to as many people as possible," s

Himachal govt plans to increase grip on Shimla, Kullu construction projects

The Himachal Pradesh State Cabinet in its meeting on Saturday gave its nod to bring more areas of Shimla, Chopal and Kullu under the planning area to check the haphazard construction in these areas.

68 out of 131 stone crushers in Beas Basin did not have permission: Report

Multi Sector Committee in its interim report has highlighted that 68 out of 131 stone crushers in Beas river in Himachal Pradesh were running without permission, officials said on Friday. Along with the climatic change, the unscientific and illegal mining along the river beds are responsible for the natural calamity in the state causing huge damage to life and property, the committee, in its interim report submitted to the government said. The committee was constituted after the disaster wreaked havoc in Himachal during monsoons triggering flash floods and massive landslides claiming 509 lives in rain-related incidents and road accidents, a spokesperson of the state government said. As per the report, out of 131 stone crushers set up in the Beas river basin, 68 did not have the necessary permission while seven were affected by the floods, few anomalies were found in six and only 50 operators were found to have the valid permits, the spokesperson said. Due to excessive muck dumping