Page 41 - Himachal Pradesh

Himachal CM announces three police stations along national highway

The Himachal Pradesh government will set up three traffic-cum-tourist police stations along the under-construction Kiratpur-Manali National Highway, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Sunday. Work on the four-lane highway's Kiratpur-Nerchowk section is likely to be completed by June. In a statement, Sukhu said these police stations will come up in the Bilaspur, Mandi and Kullu districts and feature an intelligent traffic management system with a control room in each. The three districts cover about 182 kilometres of the 191-kilometre highway. Sukhu also directed the departments concerned to prepare a detailed report on the jurisdiction of these police stations and said quick assistance will be ensured in case of accidents on the highway. The chief minister said trauma centres in all three districts will also be marked for timely treatment in emergency cases. Arrangements for ambulances and recovery vehicles will be made at certain places on the highway. The use of advan

Eyeing to attract Rs 20K cr investments, Himachal to speedily transfer land

Eyeing to attract investments in manufacturing, housing sectors, Himachal Pradesh govt will look into delay in obtaining permission under Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972

Govt aims at bringing Rs 20,000 cr investment, says Himachal CM Sukhu

Creating an industry-friendly environment in Himachal Pradesh is the topmost priority of the state government, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Sunday. The government is aiming to bring an investment of about Rs. 20,000 crore in manufacturing, tourism, energy, construction and housing with the potential of providing direct employment to about 40,000 persons and indirect employment to about 50,000, he said in a statement here. To develop Himachal Pradesh as a favourite investment destination of the country, several new policies have been adopted by the state government, such as providing various incentives like cheaper power, easier credit facilities through the State Finance Corporation and the nationalised banks for establishing new industries, he added. The land is also being made available on a low-rate lease basis, and new industries are exempted from sales or purchase tax. Concessions are being provided on charges for transportation of raw materials from the neares

Himachal govt to prepare drug de-addiction, rehabilitation policy, says CM

The Himachal Pradesh government will formulate a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation policy for the youth addicted to drugs, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. At a meeting where a draft policy was discussed, the chief minister said the life of the young generation is limited to mobile phones, which has led them towards drug abuse, according to a statement issued here. He said the state government is taking strict action to prevent the youth from falling prey to drug abuse and a state-of-the-art drug de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centre will be established in the state with the support of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) to achieve this goal. Directing the officers concerned to identify approximately land for the centre, he said this centre will function with the aim of providing professional training to the inmates besides drug de-addiction. It would boost their lost confidence and guide them to progress in life. The emphasis will

Better ecosystem being developed for small entrepreneurs in Himachal: CM

A better ecosystem is being developed for small entrepreneurs in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in Saturday. The chief minister made the remark during a discussion with the Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Government of India, B B Swain here. Discussions were held on the expansion and strengthening of MSMEs in the state during the meeting. He said that the state government is putting its best foot forward in the direction of attracting investment in electric vehicles, tourism, green hydrogen, green technology and other sectors. There is a proposal to set up clusters in the areas of cane and bamboo-based, traditional footwear, tea-based, weaving, food processing under the Central Cluster Development Programme, the chief minister said, adding that clusters have been approved in Tahliwal, Parwanoo, Jitpur Baheri, Khadin and Gondpur. Apart from this, proposals have also been sent for the establishment of two clusters at .

Himachal Pradesh govt to cover 1,800 hectares for orange production

The Himachal Pradesh government has proposed to cover 1,800 hectares of land in the state for orange production, under HP Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation and Value Addition (SHIVA) project, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. State Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi-led delegation, which is on a six-day tour to Australia as part of the project, observed the micro-grafting technique in orange cultivation, besides discussing citrus pathology programme and national citrus repository programme, a statement issued here on Saturday said. The HP SHIVA project has been funded by the Asian Development Bank. Citrus fruits are grown in plain areas of the state where the maximum temperature is between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius. This is a key initiative of the state government to gain technical knowledge from Australia and utilise it to guide local horticulturists for improving the sector, the chief minister said, adding that this will help in preparing high quality orange plan

3,500 phone connections obtained via fraudulent means disconnected: HP

Nearly 3,500 mobile phones procured for cybercrime and phishing through fraudulent means have been disconnected by the Himachal Pradesh unit of telecommunication department, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. The department used artificial intelligence (AI) and other techniques to identify the mobile connections obtained through fraudulent means and detected 3,491 connections given by telecom service providers in the state, it said. Additional Director General (ADG) at HP telecommunications Ranbir Singh said fake connections have been cancelled.

Himachal Pradesh govt eyeing to use pine forest residue as biofuel

The utilisation of pine needles for biofuel production through pyrolysis and other techniques will be a sustainable way to deal with the forest fires as well as the energy crisis

Himachal Dy CM flags off bus service from Mata Shri Chintpurni to Delhi

Eleven more luxury buses have been inducted in the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) recently, taking the total number of the Volvo fleet to 76, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said on Tuesday. He flagged off a bus service from Mata Shri Chintpurni to Delhi. Agnihotri said the devotees coming to Mata's temple would get better access to facilities and religious tourism would also get a boost in the state. He said buses will also be inducted on other routes, including Tapri-Chandigarh Airport, Shimla-Jaipur, Shimla-Srinagar and Shimla-Delhi Airport. Bus services are also proposed for Chintpurni Mata-Khatushyam Ji, Baba Balaknath Ji-Amritsar, Baba Balaknath (Deyotsiddh)-Delhi, the chief minister added. All the formalities of all these bus services would be completed soon, he added.

HP CM pays for local students' evacuation from Manipur from own pocket

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shelled out Rs 60,000 from his own pocket for the evacuation of five local students stuck in violence-hit Manipur, an official spokesperson of the government said on Monday. The Chief Minister immediately responded to an urgent text message by a stuck student and came up with Rs 60,000 for the students' evacuation back home, said the spokesperson. He also instructed the state government officers to take necessary action to bring back the five students Simran, Sujal Kaundal and Ashwani Kumar from Mandi, Nawang Chhering from Kullu, and Keshav Singh from Hamirpur. Three of them were pursuing studies at NIT Manipur, while the other two were studying at Khumban Lampak Sports Complex, National Sports University -- both in Imphal. The spokesperson said the students had been flown from Imphal to Kolkata and they will reach New Delhi by the evening. The state government has issued telephone numbers for the evacuation of other Himachal

Land transfer for Rajiv Gandhi Schools going on at fast pace: Officials

The process of transferring land to the Education Department for the construction of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools in the five assembly constituencies here is going on at a fast pace, officials said on Monday. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said that the land transfer process for the day boarding schools in the five assembly constituencies of the Hamirpur district -- Hamirpur, Nadaun, Sujanpur, Barsar and Bhoranj -- is being completed on a priority basis. The land has been transferred to the Education Department in most of the cases while the work on the remaining ones will be completed at the earliest, he said. The administration is hopeful that the classes in the new schools would start from the next academic session, Bairwa said. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu from the Nadaun assembly constituency represents the Hamirpur district. The DC said that the Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School Scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the state government. Under th

Form govt with such majority that BJP cannot think of stealing MLAs: Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday appealed to the public to form a Congress government in Karnataka with such a majority that even BJP cannot think of stealing its MLAs

Most accidents in HP occurred during evening rush hrs, police urge caution

The maximum number of road accidents reported in Himachal Pradesh during the 2017-2022 period occurred between 6 and 9 pm, data suggests, putting the figure at 22 per cent. The high frequency of accidents at this time of day, when most officegoers return home from work, has prompted the police to tell commuters to "drive cautiously, your loved ones need you". According to Himachal Pradesh Police data, 6,530 people were killed in 16,330 road accidents between 2017 and 2022. Of these, 3,590 accidents or 22 per cent occurred between 6 and 9 pm when officegoers return home, officials said. The data also showed that 26,600 people were injured in these accidents. "According to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways data released in 2021, road accidents and fatalities per lakh in Himachal Pradesh is 31.54 and 13.77 against the national average of 29.30 and 10.93, respectively. Our endeavour is to bring down the number of accidents and fatalities to below the national average,"

Himachal govt to rebrand State Handicrafts Corporation as 'Him-Craft': CM

The Himachal government is all set to rebrand the State Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation Ltd as 'Him-Craft', Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday. Branding is crucial for any product and the new brand name will help in promoting and branding all handicrafts and handloom products made by artisans and weavers of the state. The move is aimed at increasing the income of artisans and expanding their customer base for economic growth and greater financial stability, a statement issued here said. This will ensure authenticity, enhance customer satisfaction and build trust for the state's handicrafts and handloom products, Sukhu said adding that the new trade name will be reflected in all official documents, including business cards, letterheads, email signatures and the official website, consolidating all handloom and handicrafts products under a single umbrella brand. The Handloom and Handicraft products made by the artisans of Himachal are in great demand in the ..

With swelling wage bills, pension arrears, OPS may push HP to the wall

As per the policy, the OPS beneficiaries would also be brought under the ambit of GPF and those employees under the NPS, who retired after May 15, 2003, will be given OPS from the prospective date

Shimla chose CM Sukhu over PM Modi, says Himachal Industries minister

The people of Shimla chose Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over Prime Minister Narendra Modi by giving a massive mandate to the Congress in the civic elections, Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan said on Friday. Addressing reporters here, Chauhan said the BJP had turned the Shimla Municipal Corporation election into a Modi-versus-Sukhu battle. The BJP put up hoardings of the prime minister and sought votes in his name but Shimla residents voted for good governance and the Congress' ideology, he said. The Congress won 24 of the 34 wards in the Shimla Municipal Corporation. The BJP won nine wards and the CPI(M) one while the AAP, which had contested from 21 seats, drew a blank. Chauhan further said that the BJP's Himachal Pradesh leadership has failed thrice in the past two years -- the 2021 bypolls, 2022 assembly polls and the 2023 civic elections in Shimla. The minister said Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh and people from all districts and ..

People voted for Cong in SMC polls because of good governance in HP: Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said people voted for the Congress in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls because of the party's good governance in the state in the past five months. The Congress won 24 of the 34 wards in the SMC. The BJP won nine wards and CPI(M) one, while the AAP, which had contested on 21 wards, drew a blank. Addressing a press conference, Sukhu thanked the people of the capital city for voting for the Congress. We are here to bring positive change in the system and not to enjoy power. We would work with Seva Bhav, Sukhu said, adding the development of Shimla city would be the top priority. He said the BJP had postponed the SMC elections for almost 11 months to escape defeat. The Congress has implemented the old pension scheme for the employees and also gave Rs 1,500 per month to 2.40 lakh women in the age group of 18 to 60 as promised in the party manifesto released ahead of the assembly polls, the chief minister ..

Himachal Cabinet approves monthly incentive of Rs 1,500 for women of Spiti

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, decided to provide Rs 1,500 per month as Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi to all eligible women of the Spiti Valley

Himachal Pradesh's GST collection rises 19% in April to Rs 593 crore

The GST collection in April has recorded an increase of 19 per cent in Himachal Pradesh with a collection of Rs 593 crore, Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise Yunus said

Centre ends 'archaic colonial era' cantonments, Himachal's YoI first to go

The cantonment's military area will be converted into a military station, and the civil area will merge with the municipality