Page 44 - Himachal Pradesh

HP govt to launch scheme to assist widows for constructing houses: CM

'Mukhyamantri Vidhwa Evam Ekal Nari Awas Yojna' a state government scheme to provide financial assistance to eligible widows and single women for the construction of houses would be launched soon, said Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday. A sum of Rs 1.5 lakh would be provided as financial assistance under this scheme to about 7,000 women with an annual income of less than Rs 2 lakh per annum, during the current financial year, a statement issued here said. The scheme was announced during the budget session. The Women and Child Development Department is finalising the modalities of the scheme. The Chief Minister said this initiative of the state government will provide much-needed support to these women who often face difficulties in building houses due to financial constraints. Moreover, the houses constructed under this scheme will be equipped with basic facilities such as electricity, water, and other necessary amenities, which would ensure that

37 water supply schemes costing Rs 317 cr in progress in HP's Bilaspur

Thirty-seven water supply schemes costing Rs 317 crore are in progress in the district here, Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said Wednesday. Sadiq gave the information presiding over a district-level action plan meeting of Jal Jeevan Mission for Bilaspur area. The committee approved Rs 59.11 crore for groundwater augmentation in Bilaspur, Ghumarwin, and Jhandutta in the meeting. Of this sum, Rs 19.73 crore has been provisioned for Bilaspur, Rs 23.61 crore for Ghumarwin, and Rs 15.76 crore for Jhandutta, Sadiq said. In the meeting, he directed the officers to ensure availability of water for irrigation for agriculture and horticulture purposes. The DC also asked the officers to consider the possibilities of water supply through Koldam or Gobind Sagar Dam for the district and submit a detailed report to him.

Congress gained power in Himachal by making false promises: Anurag Thakur

The Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh by making false promises and the people of the state will give them a befitting reply in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday. Thakur also asserted that the BJP would win all four Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP leader claimed that the state government was planning to take a loan of Rs 12,000 crore and alleged that it was the financial mismanagement of previous Congress regimes that had pushed the state into debt. Today, the public is feeling cheated and the state is lagging behind in every field, he alleged. Thakur also thanked the BJP workers who visited his residence to celebrate the birthday of his father and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Thakur accepted their greetings on behalf of his father, who was in Jalandhar, and also expressed his gratitude. In a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Thakur claimed that the AAP's condition was bad with its main .

Himachal Pradesh launches project Sanjeevani to empower dairy farmers

Himachal Pradesh's economy is largely banking on agriculture and animal husbandry. With a livestock population of about 4.41 million, their care is an essential part of every rural household

Himachal to undertake infrastructure development to boost tourism: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government plans to undertake huge infrastructure development in an effort to encourage tourism and boost the state's economy, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday. The government will also ensure that the state remains open to tourism during all seasons, he said in a statement issued here. Sukhu was referring to the closure of tourism activities in some scenic locations in Himachal Pradesh's tribal and remote areas following snowfall in the winter. The government is focussing on developing Kangra as the state's 'tourism capital', Sukhu said, and will spend Rs 390 crore allocated by the Asian Development Bank to strengthen the district's infrastructure. Kangra, which is home to the Dhauladhar mountain range and several historical temples, has immense tourism potential, he said. Sukhu said the government has already devised blueprints for various projects in the district to improve the experience of tourists and provide them with modern amenities.

90% urban people in Himachal don't have adequate water supply: CAG

The requirement of water in the state was projected to increase to 726.46 million litres per day (MLD) -- 575.97 MLD in rural areas and 150.49 MLD in urban areas -- in 2021

About 150,000 farmers practising natural farming in HP to be certified

About 1.5 lakh farmers practising natural farming in Himachal Pradesh would be certified under Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) in 2023-24. According to a study, 28 per cent farmers have adopted natural farming techniques on their own through peer-to-peer learning without any training and therefore the focus of PK3Y in this financial year will be consolidation of farmers practising natural farming, said Agriculture Secretary Rakesh Kanwar. Addressing a meeting of the agriculture department officers to discuss the cluster-based agriculture development programme in the state, he said efforts would be made in 2023-24 to certify about 1.5 lakh farmers practising natural farming, a statement issued here on Friday said. He said focus should be on consolidation of the existing farmers, increasing their area under natural farming, conducting refresher workshops, capacity building training and exposure visits. The response and success in results on ground show that everyone is .

Himachal Pradesh Assembly passes bill to take care of orphans' education

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed a Bill to provide shelter, education and Rs 4,000 as pocket money to orphaned children, calling them children of the state. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the proposed legislation would make Himachal Pradesh the first state to have such legislation, but the opposition BJP claimed that its provision already exist in central schemes. The Himachal Pradesh Sukhashraya (Care, Protection and Self Reliance of Children of the State) Bill 2023 aims at taking care of destitute children and orphans. The bill defines destitute children and orphans as children of the state and provides for securing education, skill training and future of these children. Besides providing shelter and care, the orphaned children will get 'pocket money' of Rs 4,000 per month, thus benefitting 6,000 children. Replying to the debate on the Bill, Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to pass such a legislation and full budget provisi

Govt to audit roads, buildings to ensure no cost-escalation: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to conduct a construction audit of roads and buildings to ensure there is no cost escalation after administrative approvals, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said during Question Hour on Thursday. An enormous increase has been witnessed in the cost of construction of roads and buildings during the past five years and a construction audit would help arrest such cost-escalation, he said in the Assembly. Sukhu added that the state was passing through a financial crisis and accused the previous BJP government of opening institutions indiscriminately during the election year. "It would have been better if the previous BJP government had provided sufficient funds for the Mandi Degree College instead of opening more colleges," he added. Replying to a question from Anil Sharma of the BJP, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the construction of buildings of Mandi Degree College would be completed during this year. He added there ha

Apple farmers from hill states unite to protest Centre's farming policies

The protesting farmers submitted a 9-point memorandum with demands including the withdrawal of eviction orders issued to farmers in Jammu and Kashmir

Himachal amends 51-year-old law, provides equitable rights to daughters

The bill includes the daughter on a par with the son as a separate independent unit. Earlier, the Act allowed an adult son to have an additional 150 bighas while denying the same right to an daughter

MeT issues 'yellow' alert for thunderstorm, lightning in Himachal for Apr 4

A 'yellow' alert for thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places has been issued for April 4 and a wet spell is predicted in the state till April 6, the Met office here said on Monday. Light rains continued to lash several parts of the state as Manali received 14 mm of rain followed by Dalhousie 12 mm, Shimla and Bhuntar 9 mm each, Narkanda 8.5 mm, Bharari 7 mm, Berthin and Amb 6 mm each and Sundernagar, Kufri and Pandoh 5 mm each. Following inclement weather conditions over the past few days, 13 roads have been closed to traffic in the state. Himachal Pradesh received 41 per cent deficient rains in March as the state recorded 66.8 mm of rain against the normal 113.4 mm, the MeT office here said on Monday. According to the MeT data, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Solan received excess rainfall, while Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Una and Shimla received normal rainfall Meanwhile, Chamba, Kullu, Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur received deficient rainfall, the data stated.

Himachal Pradesh Loktantra Prahari Samman Act repealed amid Oppn walkout

The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Monday repealed the Himachal Pradesh Loktantra Prahari Samman Act amid a walkout by the opposition BJP. The opposition strongly opposed the Bill to repeal the Act and heated exchanges marked the proceedings. Introducing the Bill to repeal the Act, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the previous BJP government misused funds in the name of "Loktantra Prahari Samman" and benefitted its favourites. "During emergency, no person was jailed as punishment and the arrests were preventive and the previous government spent more than Rs 3.43 crore in the name of Loktantra Prahari Samman," he said. BJP governments headed by former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal were in power twice, so why did they not take notice of Loktantra Praharis, he asked. Leader of the opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the government should reconsider repealing the Act if it has faith in democracy. Public Works Minister ..

Himachal Pradesh to collaborate with Centre to promote lavender cultivation

The Himachal Pradesh government is all set to collaborate with the Union government on the "Aroma Mission", a lavender cultivation initiative that has proven to be a boon for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. With the climatic conditions of several regions in Himachal Pradesh, including Chamba, being similar to those of Jammu and Kashmir, the state government aims to replicate the success of this initiative in Himachal Pradesh in a big way. This initiative will boost the economy of farmers as well as the state in a big way, a statement issued here on Sunday said. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had a discussion with Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh and the latter assured the state of providing technical support to farmers for the project. The Chief Minister said that the initiative has the potential to transform the lives of farmers and with the collaboration of the state and Union government, the "Aroma Mission" could prove to

Himachal gets Rs. 37.76 crore grant-in-aid for maintenance of rural roads

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned an incentive grant-in-aid of Rs 37.76 crore for Himachal Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said on Saturday. As per the report submitted by National Quality Monitors, the state has performed well in the maintenance of PMGSY Roads. Efforts of the state government for maintaining a good quality of the rural roads network and enhancing the expenditure of the same in the last two quarters were also taken into consideration, a statement issued here said. These incentives have been received after the gap of four years, Singh said and added that this incentive will be utilized for metalling and black-topping of rural roads constructed under PMGSY.

Politics and governance in Himachal Pradesh

CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is on a roll, but complacency could lead to trouble because governance alone is not the key to a successful tenure - politics is, as well

HP, BSNL ink pact for laying optical fibre to provide 4G in remote areas

The Himachal Pradesh government has signed an agreement with BSNL for laying the optical fibre cable to provide 4G coverage in unconnected (remote and far-flung) areas of the state. A spokesperson of the state government informed on Friday that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Department of Information Technology Director Mukesh Repaswal and BSNL-HP Principal General Manager Charan Singh in the presence of BSNL-HP Chief General Manager JS Sahota. This will be a step towards providing reliable and high-speed connectivity to every part of the state, especially the far-flung and remote regions of Kinnaur, Lahual & Spiti, and Pangi. The state government had proposed a project to the Centre for the provision of connectivity in the un-connected villages of the state and had received Rs 50 crore for the same. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was chosen as the executing agency for the project. Now, with the signing of the MoU, BSNL will start the process of laying down

President's Shimla holiday resort The Retreat opens for public from Apr 23

The 173-year-old heritage building and lush green lawns of the 'Rashtrapati Niwas', earlier known as the 'Presidential Retreat', at Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh will be thrown open for visitors from April 23. President Droupadi Murmu will officially open the estate to the general public during her visit to Shimla, Additional Secretary to the President, Rakesh Gupta, informed in a meeting at the Niwas on Friday, a statement issued here said. This would be an added attraction for people visiting the state capital in the Himalayan foothills. The entry fee for Indians would be Rs 50 a person and for foreigners, Rs 250 a person, according to the statement. The retreat will be open for people throughout the year, except on Mondays, government holidays and during the president's stay at the Niwas, it said. There will be no entry charge for group visits by government school students till June 30. The key attractions at the estate are the main building, the official dining halls and artifa

HP govt to reconsider opening summer-closing schools: Education Minister

The Himachal Pradesh government would consider opening summer-closing schools that were closed due to low enrolment, Education Minister Rohit Thakur told Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. He said the educational institutions will be opened on the basis of requirements. Replying to debate on cut motions on demand for education grants, Thakur said there are 455 schools in the state without a teacher and 3,145 schools are functioning with only one teacher as a result of which Himachal has slipped to 11th place in education and the focus would now be on quality education. In an apparent dig at the previous BJP government, Thakur said only two colleges were opened during four years while two dozen colleges were opened in the last six months and thousands of posts of teachers are lying vacant. BJP MLA Randhir Sharma said there are several villages, not connected by road and due to the rising trend of drug misuse, parents are weary of sending their wards to schools and, therefore, there is a nee

Water cess not applicable in Punjab, clarifies Himachal CM Sukhu

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday flagged the issue of proposed water cess on hydropower plants with his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Sukhu