Page 41 - Himachal Pradesh

NCPCR member lauds HP govt's Sukhashraya scheme protecting orphan's rights

NCPCR member Preeti Bharadwaj on Wednesday lauded a Himachal Pradesh government scheme protecting the rights of orphans and destitute children, saying it can be become a "role model" for other states. Under the state government's 'Sukhashraya' scheme, orphans and destitute children are declared as "Children of the State". Besides providing shelter and care, the scheme also secures their education and provides skill training. "This scheme is a good initiative for protecting rights of orphans and destitute children and can become a role model for other states also if implemented earnestly," the member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said at a meeting here on Wednesday. She discussed matters related to improvement of Bal Sudhar Grahs, Balika Ashrams and Child Care Centres with officials of the women and child development, labour and employment, education and health departments, State Commission Protection of Child Rights, Juvenile Justice Board and ...

Himachal Pradesh eyeing to earn Rs 1,000 crore annually from timber

With the state facing a loss of Rs 1,000 crore annually, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said marking of dried trees on the forest land would be done on a daily basis

Dharamsala to host IPL after decade today with 'rainproof' outfield

By creating one of the most advanced cricket grounds, the organisers managed to improve world-class infrastructure in the stadium that is known for the stunning beauty amidst the Dhauladhar mountains

Himachal govt taking prudent measures to boost rural economy: CM Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhu said that the state government had started to fulfil the election promises made by the Congress party during state elections

Himachal Pradesh to host rural olympics to encourage sportspersons

In a bid to encourage sportspersons, the Himachal Pradesh government will host rural olympics which could see participation of up to 40,000 youths, including 20,000 women, state Youth Services and Sports Minister Vikramaditya Singh said here on Tuesday. The games, likely to start in September, will have a special focus on the state's traditional games, he added. "A policy would be framed for regulating the adventure sports such as river rafting and paragliding, due to which fatalities have been reported in the past. These mishaps bring a bad name to the state and the sports promoters," Singh said at a press conference after a meeting with representatives from various sports bodies of the state. He said that it would introduce a platform for the redressal of sports-related grievances and the preparation of sports calendar. This policy, which would be finalised in accordance with the National Sports Policy and Lodha Committee guidelines in the BCCI case, will also ensure transparency

HP revises e-auction process for fancy vehicle registration numbers

Three months after a person made an online bid of Rs 1.12 crore for fancy registration number 'HP 99-9999' for a scooter and later backed out, the transport department on Tuesday revised the e-auction process making advance payment of 30 per cent registration fee mandatory to end such practices. According to the new guidelines, the applicants vying for fancy numbers would have to deposit 30 per cent of the minimum special registration fee ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh depending upon the special registration mark in advance, officials said. The 30 per cent advance money is non-refundable and would be adjusted against the total amount of the bid. Prior to this, an applicant was required to deposit Rs 2,000 as registration fee. The revised system has been started in Baijnath and Shimla Registration Transport Authorities (RTA) in the first phase and will be replicated by other RTAs throughout the state after successful testing, Director of Transport Anupam Kashyap said. On ..

Himachal Pradesh to cancel allotment of hydropower projects: CM Sukhvinder

Allotments of hydropower projects that have not started construction work despite taking one-time amnesty should be cancelled immediately and a fresh advertisement should be published, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday. Taking a serious note of central Public Sector undertakings (PSUs) for not signing pre-implementation and implementation agreements to set up hydropower projects, he directed the energy department to issue notices to such PSUs, a statement issued here said. Presiding over a meeting of the Energy Department here late on Monday evening, he said, "Efforts would be made to increase the State's share in those projects which have recovered its cost, for which correspondence would be initiated with the Central Government and other PSUs." He said that for all upcoming hydel power projects, the land would be given for a 40 years lease as per the policy of government. Apart from this, he also directed to simplify the process of providing NOCs for the ...

Himachal to invest 50% equity in ethanol project at Una: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government will invest 50 per cent equity in an ethanol plant to be established at Jeetpur Behri in Una district by HPCL at a cost of Rs 500 crore, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. Full cooperation would be extended to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd(HPCL) for setting up the 30-acre plant, a statement quoted him as saying on Tuesday. He directed the district administration to start land acquisition for the approach road from Bhanjal within 10 days. The chief minister also directed the district administration to provide an additional 20-acre land for the plant on the request of the company. Sukhu said the plant would provide employment and self employment opportunities to the local people and farmers from Kangra, Hamirpur and Bilaspur. Neighbouring districts of Punjab would also benefit from the grain-based ethanol plant. The company has assured that it will take the chief minister's proposal to the board of directors.

Himachal's inmates to be covered under health insurance scheme: CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that the inmates lodged in jails and juvenile homes in the state will be provided Rs 5 lakh medical cover under the 'HIMCARE' scheme. He also launched a campaign for screening of inmates for sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV, tuberculosis and Hepatitis. As many as 3,218 prisoners lodged in 14 jails in Himachal Pradesh and 1,278 inmates of juvenile homes, Nari Niketan and drug rehabilitation centres across the state would be screened and treated for these diseases under the Integrated STI, HIV, TB and Hepatitis (ISHTH) campaign by June 14, he said. Sukhu also provided Himcare cards to the prisoners at Model Central Jail Kanda near Shimla. The registration of inmates under this scheme has been initiated and a 100-per cent target would be achieved shortly, the chief minister said. Himcare scheme provides free healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakhs annually to families which are not covered under the ...

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