Page 24 - Himachal Pradesh

HP govt clears Rs 2,500-crore development project of tourism sector

The Himachal Pradesh government has given clearance to a Rs 2,500-crore project for the development of the tourism sector, the state's tourism development corporation's chairperson R S Bali said on Friday. He made the announcement while inaugurating the three-day Asian Rafting Championship in Nadaun in Hamirpur district. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) chairperson said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has entrusted him with a huge responsibility and that the project worth about Rs 2,500 crore, which will be executed with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been given clearance. Under the project, detailed project reports have been made for a tourism corporation hotel, wellness centre and water sports centre in Nadaun also, Bali said. Twenty-four teams, including from Nepal, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, the Indian Army, the Border Security Force, and several states such as Karnataka and Sikkim, are taking part in the championship, which ..

Road tax imposed on commercial vehicles entering HP slashed up to 70%

The Himachal Pradesh government has reduced the special road tax (SRT) imposed on the entry of commercial vehicles registered outside the state has been reduced by 6070 per cent, officials said on Tuesday. According to officials a notification in this regard is likely to be issued later in the day. The decision has come as a relief to the tourism industry in the state which had earlier said that the tax on tourist vehicles has made group tours to Himachal unviable for the tour operators and as a result the occupancy levels in hotels have declined. A tax of Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 per day varying on the seating capacity was imposed from September 1, 2023. President Federation of Himachal hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur had earlier said that levying taxes on entrance of commercial vehicles carrying tourists in the state at this point of time when the tourism industry has suffered heavy damage due to the recent monsoon season will further crumble the tourism .

SIT conducts searches at 41 locations in Himachal in cryptocurrency scam

The SIT probing the alleged multi-crore cryptocurrency scam conducted searches at 41 different locations in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday and arrested one of the main accused Abhishek Sharma, who was evading arrest, police said on Sunday. Abhishek, a resident of Una district was one of the main four accused in the scam that started in 2018 when the alleged fraudsters approached people with an investment plan related to a locally made (Mandi district) cryptocurrency known as "Korvio Coin" or KRO coin, police said. Earlier, two main accused Sukhdev and Hemraj were held in Gujarat, and during investigations, the duo confessed they have outstanding liabilities of Rs 400 crore. The alleged kingpin of the scam, Subash, is still at large and is reportedly hiding in Dubai. Abhishek was apprehended by the SIT and produced in a court, which remanded him to five-day police custody, a statement issued by the police said. Searches were conducted at 25 places in Hamirpur, seven in Kangra, four in .

CM Sukhu distributes Rs 8.97 cr compensation to disaster-affected families

He provided Rs 3 lakh each as the first instalment to 94 affected families whose houses were completely damaged during the disaster in the district of Bilaspur

BJP demands white paper from Sukhu govt on work done during tenure so far

The Himachal Pradesh BJP on Tuesday lashed out at Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for constantly blaming the party for his government's failures and demanded that the Congress dispensation bring out a white paper on the work done during its tenure so far. In a statement issued here, BJP state president Rajeev Bindal said the people are still waiting for the Congress to fulfil its pre-poll promises. Sukhu and his cabinet have developed a habit of blaming the BJP for their failures. Sukhu should not forget that the Congress is in power in the state and not the BJP, he said. "You cannot escape by constantly blaming and cursing the BJP", he added. The BJP leader demanded that the Sukhu government publish a white paper on the work done by it during its 10-month tenure so far. Reminding the Congress of its pre-poll promises, Bindal said, "You had made so many promises to people and the same people are waiting for the fulfilment of these guarantees." Ahead of the assembly polls la

HP: Lahaul-Spiti village land sinks, residents seek geological survey

With nine of the 16 houses in Lindur village in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti district developing cracks due to land sinking, the residents have sought a geological survey to ascertain the reason behind the subsidence. The around 70 village residents are forced to sleep in the open as they fear their houses may collapse. Moreover, their agricultural land has also been damaged due to fissures, the villagers said. "Cracks were noticed in the periphery of the village in June/July and have widened and spread, endangering houses. Nine out of 16 houses in the village have developed cracks and four of them have been declared unsafe," Sarita, Pradhan of Goharama Gram Panchayat told PTI. The seepage of water from the nearby Jahmala nullah which gets flooded every year could be responsible for the cracks but it can only be ascertained by a survey of the Geological Department. We have requested the authorities to get a geological survey of the area done, she added. Cracks have developed

India vs New Zealand: BJP, Congress leaders attend match in Dharamshala

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and BJP national president J P Nadda were in attendance

State now paying rain fury compensation from central funds: Anurag in HP

"The state government should make public the amount it sanctioned as financial assistance to the affected people during the first two months of the rain-induced calamity"

Sukhu releases Rs 9.72 cr to 324 affected families for house construction

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday released the first instalment of Rs 9.72 crore as special relief to 324 affected families in Kullu district for construction of houses. The state government provided the aid under its rehabilitation initiative 'Punrvaas' to families whose houses were completely damaged in rain-related disasters during the June 24 to September 30 period, a statement issued here said. An amount of Rs 3 lakh each was released to the 324 affected families through the direct benefit transfer method, it said. The Himachal government has announced a special relief package of Rs 4,500 crore for people affected by rain-related disasters during the monsoon season. He said over 75,000 stranded tourists were evacuated safely during the monsoon season. The state suffered a loss of more than Rs 12,000 crore and about 16,000 houses were damaged, out of which 13,000 were completely destroyed, Sukhu said. A third team of the central government has

ICMR explores drone use for medical supply transport in Himachal Pradesh

This initiative aims to explore the use of drones for transporting critical medical supplies such as medications, diagnostic blood samples, and sputum, according to an official release

Himachal govt to reduce special road tax on tourist vehicles: CM Sukhu

The Chief Minister urged those associated with tourism industry, to ensure their participation and co-operate making Himachal Pradesh 'a green and a clean state'

Over 1,000 HP cops fell victim to crypto fraud, quit jobs to promote it

Over a thousand police personnel fell victim to a fake local cryptocurrency created by fraudsters in Himachal's Mandi district, an official said on Thursday. A majority of the police personnel who invested in the fake cryptocurrency were duped of crores of rupees, but some of them made huge gains, became promoters of the scheme, and roped in more investors for it, according to investigators of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the scam. According to police, at least one lakh people have been duped by the fraudsters in the cryptocurrency fraud, and 2.5 lakh IDs have been found which included multiple IDs of the same person. To get investors, the scammers launched two cryptocurrencies 'Korvio Coin' (or KRO) and DGT Coin' and created fake websites with manipulated prices of these digital currencies. They lured the initial investors by promising them high returns in a short span of time. They also created a network of investors, who further expanded the chain

11 parties collect Rs 2,077 cr in funds for Gujarat, HP polls of 2022: ADR

The ADR analysis is based on the election expenditure statements that political parties must submit to the Election Commission within 75 days of completion of Assembly elections

HPMC procures 32454 MT apples under MIS: State horticulture minister

The Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) has procured 32,454 metric tonnes (MT) of apples so far under the Market Intervention Scheme 2023, state horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Tuesday. Despite the catastrophic rains in the state, HPMC has managed to lift the entire quantity of apples procured under the Scheme, he said. The HPMC has produced a record 1,288 MT Apple Juice Concentrate at its three fruit processing plants at Parala, Parwanoo and Jarol (Mandi) during the current apple season, he said in a statement issued here. Presiding over a meeting of the HPMC board of directors here, the minister formally launched the new web portal of HPMC Ltd. All services of HPMC, such as booking of controlled atmosphere/cold stores, Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and the sale of horticulture inputs have been made online through the web portal. He said the trial and commissioning of the newly established HPMC fruit processing plan

Himachal govt identified 11 sites for developing eco-tourism: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has identified 11 sites for developing and promoting ecotourism in the state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. Presiding over a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh EcoTourism Society here on Monday evening, he said every eco-tourism destination will be developed in an area of one hectare. The sites identified include Swaar, Saurabh Van Vihar, Neugal Park, Bir-Billing in Palampur forest division, Kasol, Kheer Ganga and Sumarupa in Parvati forest division, Sojha in Seraj, Narkanda in Kotgarh, Shogi camping site and Potter Hill camping site under Shimla forest division. Himachal Pradesh is blessed with immense natural beauty and the eco-tourism would help in increasing tourist footfall and add to the state's revenue as well, Sukhu said, adding that it will also help in generating employment opportunities.

40 new schemes will revolutionize cooperative sector in HP: Ministry

Aiming to revolutionize the cooperative sector of the state, about 40 new schemes have been initiated in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Cooperation, an official said on Saturday. The Department of Cooperation has commissioned various new initiatives for Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) of the state, Secretary (Cooperation) C Palrasu said. The major initiatives include PACS as Jan Aushadhi Kendras, wherein generic medicines will be made available to the rural population at cheap rates. Almost 50 PACS have applied to get Jan Aushadhi Kendra in the state. In PACS as a common service centre scheme, the societies will function as Lok Mitra kendras, that will help the rural population in getting various kinds of certificates timely and cheaply at their doorstep. More than 80 societies are now functioning as common service centres in the state, a statement issued here said. Recently LPG and petrol pump retail licences have also been opened for PACS, he said and added

Health identity card for state citizens by November 30: Himachal Pradesh CM

The process of making health identity cards for everybody in the state containing their complete health history would be completed by November 30, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. The card will provide the complete health information of the patient on a single click, he said, presiding over the closing ceremony of 'Stimulus' -- the annual programme of Indira Gandhi Medical College -- on Friday. According to a statement issued here on Saturday, he said the state government was bringing major reforms in the health sector. The Department of Emergency Medicine is being established to provide better health facilities and robotic surgery will soon be started in Super Specialty Hospital Chamyana and at IGMC Shimla, he said. He also released the poster for the Annual National Conference of India Public Health Association to be organised at Manali from March 15-17, 2024. Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil exhorted the students to serve the people of the state with full dedica

NGT forms panel, seeks report on construction of highway in HP floodplains

The National Green Tribunal has formed a panel and sought a report from it on the construction of a highway by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) allegedly in the floodplains of the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh. The tribunal was hearing a petition which alleged the NHAI is constructing a four-lane highway from Kiratpur to Manali and Pathankot to Mandi in a flood-prone area near the river. A bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said it was "proper" to "call for a report" from the authorities concerned on the issue. The bench then formed a joint committee comprising the executive engineer, (in-charge) of NHAI, an officer deputed by the member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the member secretary of Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board( HPPCB). "Member Secretary, HPPCB will act as a nodal agency. The committee will examine the issue and submit the report before the tribunal within eight weeks,"

Himachal cabinet nods Rs 4,500 cr relief for affected families in Shimla

The state cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to a Rs 4,500 crore special relief package for the rain and landslide-affected families. The package was announced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on September 30. This special package has been granted for the period June 24-September 30 when the state was ravaged by rain and landslides. The compensation for a completely damaged house has been increased from Rs 1.30 lakh to 7 lakh while compensation for partially damaged house has been increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 1 lakh. The Cabinet in its meeting held here under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister also decided to provide two biswas of land in urban areas and three biswas of land in rural areas to people rendered homeless. Biswa is a unit of land measurement with 1 biswa equalling 1,350 square feet. Decision to promote "amateur" and community radios for alternate communication during emergency in all districts was also taken to provide effective information exchange between ..

Nitin Gadakri approves Rs 154 crore to build bridges in Himachal Pradesh

The Minister said with this approval, two bridges will be constructed on the Swan River at a cost of Rs 50.60 crore and Pong Dam on the Beas River at a cost of Rs 103.65 crore