Page 8 - Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh budget FY26 passed: Focus on rural economy, farmers, youth

Addressing government employees, the Chief Minister assured timely payment of Dearness Allowance (DA)

HPPCL director suspended after protests over chief engineer's death

A director (electrical) of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited has been suspended after the relatives of a deceased chief engineer of the corporation sat on a dharna demanding the suspension of senior officers and a CBI inquiry into his death, officials said on Thursday. The body of Vimal Negi, who was missing since March 10, was found in Bilapsur on Tuesday. Negi's wife has claimed that it was "not a suicide but murder", alleging that her husband was pressurised, denied holidays, and harassed even when he was unwell and his blood pressure was fluctuating. The protesters, who sat on dharna outside the HPPCL office in Shimla on Wednesday, refused to perform Negi's last rites till senior officers of the corporation were suspended. They also raised slogans against Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) director (electrical) Desh Raj and its managing director Harikesh Meena. The dharna was lifted late on Wednesday night only after the suspension of Desh Raj and ...

CM Sukhu presents Rs 58,514 cr budget with focus on tourism, green energy

With a focus on tourism, rural development and green energy, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday presented the annual Budget of Rs 58,514 crore for 2025-26. While presenting his third annual Budget for FY26, Sukhu said the year 2025-26 is full of financial challenges as revenue deficit grant has been reduced and GST compensation has been stopped which will impact the state's economy. The Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) has been reduced from Rs 10,949 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 3,257 in 2025-26, while Himachal Pradesh incurred a loss of Rs 9,478 crore till 2023-24, despite Good and service Tax (GST) compensation given by the centre to the state, he said. The government will focus on promoting religious and eco-tourism besides exploring lesser-known tourist destinations, he said, adding that tea estates would be developed as eco-tourism destinations. Operators were selected for seven eco-tourism sites in 2024 and 78 new eco-tourism sites would be allocated in the next phase and .

Avalanche alert issued for high altitude areas in four Himachal districts

The Met office here has issued an avalanche alert for some high altitude areas in Himachal Pradesh for the next 24 hours. It has also predicted a wet spell in the state till Thursday, barring Tuesday. The Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment, Chandigarh, issued an orange alert on Saturday, with the possibility of avalanches in high altitude areas of Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur, and Lahaul and Spiti districts in the next 24 hours. Parts of the state witnessed light snow since Friday evening. Gondla received 8 cm of snow, Kukumseri 4.2 cm and Kalpa 2 cm. Snowfall since February 26 has made life tough for tribals of the Pangi valley in Chamba district. With the closure of roads, the villagers have been forced to carry the sick to hospital on palanquins. It was reported that on Friday, Sham Singh, a patient from Punto village, was taken to Civil Hospital in Killar on a palanquin. Earlier, villagers from Hudan panchayat had carried two patients, Sher Singh and Hira Lal, to the hospit

Former Cong MLA Bamber Thakur shot by assailiants in Himachal's Bilaspur

Former Congress MLA Bamber Thakur was allegedly shot at by unidentified assailants at his home in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur, police said on Friday and added a manhunt had been launched to nab the accused. Thakur and his personal security officer were injured in the attack. Thakur, who suffered a bullet injury in his leg, was referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla while his personal security officer was admitted to AIIMS, Bilaspur. Taking serious note of the attack, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a video statement, "I spoke to Bamber Thakur and urged him to go to AIIMS but he wished to be treated at the Indira Gandhi Medical College The deputy commissioner has been instructed to do the needful." Directions have been issued to erect road barricades to nab the accused, he added. Thakur and several others were sitting in the courtyard of his wife's government accommodation when four people came in and opened fire. According to a witness, the attacker

HP debt at Rs 1 trn, govt spending Centre's aid on giving salaries: BJP

BJP Himachal Pradesh Media In-charge Karan Nanda on Saturday lashed out at the Congress-led state government for increasing the state's debt to one lakh crore and demanded that it reveal where the funds are being utilised. While addressing a press conference in Shimla, Nanda said that despite receiving Rs 11,000 crore in financial aid from the central government for various schemes, the state government is using that money for salaries and pensions instead of development. He stated that the Congress-led government had failed to deliver on development despite taking loans and was instead blaming the central government. He further pointed out that with the central government's Rs 11,000 crore funding, the state government had been using Rs 1,000 crore each month just to pay the salaries of employees. Nanda mentioned that the state government has failed to pay salaries and pensions on time, leading to protests by employees as well as the public. He added that during BJP National ...

MoC inked for India's 1st API, green hydrogen, ethanol facility in Himachal

The Rs 1,400 crore-project will be set up in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), Solan district, and is expected to create 1,000 jobs

U'khand performs better than Himachal in last 2 decades: EAC-PM paper

Uttarakhand performed better than Himachal Pradesh over the last two decades as it opted for planned industrialization in designated Industrial Estates as compared to its neighbour which asked the companies to buy land directly from farmers, an EAC-PM Working Paper said on Wednesday. The Paper titled 'The Great Convergence: A Case Study of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh (2000 to 2020)' also said that the growth in the manufacturing sector had a multiplier effect on the overall economy of Uttarakhand, and its tax base. Co-authored by Shamika Ravi (Member, EAC-PM) and Alok Kumar (Principal Secretary, Industrial Development & MSME, Government of UP), the paper compares the growth and economic transformation of Uttarakahnd (UK) to that of HP over a period of two decades, examining the impact of Union Government's Concessional Industrial Package (CIP) for Hill States announced in 2003. With identical industrial policies but distinct and different land policies the trajectories for ..

Army concludes rescue ops in Chamoli avalanche; 46 rescued, 8 lives lost

According to the Indian Army, 46 out of the 54 BRO workers were rescued and are undergoing treatment, while 8 people lost their lives in the avalanche.

IMD issues orange alert for heavy rain, snow in parts of Himachal on Mar 3

The Local Meteorological Station here has issued an orange warning for heavy rain and snow, coupled with thunderstorms and lightning, at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh on March 3. This comes even as the weather remained dry in the state and maximum temperatures rose significantly on Sunday.. The orange alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra and Lahaul and Spiti on March 3 due to the cumulative effects of previous heavy snowfall and rain on February 26, 27 and 28, the MeT station said. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that restoration works continued in full swing even on Sunday. Currently, 365 roads and three national highways remain closed, and 1,377 power transformers and 269 water supply schemes have been disrupted. He added that avalanches occurred at some places, but there was no loss of life or property. However, one person, identified as Sant Ram, fell into Jodh Nallah near Saach in the tribal Pangi valley. He was rescued by local people, who worked hard to bri

Cong MLAs close to Sukhu given priority, BJP being ignored: Jairam Thakur

Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said only priorities of Congress MLAs close to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are being considered while the BJP legislatures are being ignored and disrespected. Addressing the media here, a day after announcing that the legislatures of opposition BJP would boycott the Himachal government's meeting to discuss developmental priorities for their constituencies, he said that some of the Congress MLAs have contacted him to tell him that their priorities have also been ignored and they are sailing in the same boat. "For the past two years, BJP legislatures have been attending the MLA's priority meeting but unfortunately even the process of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) of priorities given by the MLAs has not started in majority of the projects, he said, claiming that if the DPR is prepared it is not being forward for execution. Thakur said the funds of special assistance given by the Centre to Himachal f

PM Modi congratulates residents of Himachal Pradesh on Statehood Day

On January 24, the Raj Bhavan of Himachal Pradesh marked the foundation day of four states: Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Mizoram

Himachal CM Sukhu reviews developmental projects of various departments

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the officers to complete the construction of those projects on priority

Himachal CM Sukhu lays foundation for Rs 5.11 crore bridge project

CM Sukhu congratulated the people of the area for this bridge and said that this bridge will be constructed within a period of one year, which will benefit the public

Himachal Cabinet expands BPL list, includes women-headed families

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Thursday approved inclusion of families with no adult members between 18 and 59 years, headed by women or whose head has a disability of 50 per cent or more under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list. Families that worked for at least 100 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in the previous financial year and families whose earning members are suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, thalassemia or any other condition resulting in permanent disability are also included in the BPL list, a statement issued here said. The state cabinet, in its meeting presided by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, approved the establishment of a special task force (STF) to combat drug abuse and dismantle drug trafficking and organised crime networks in the state through a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. Besides, the cabinet has decided to promulgate an ordinance amending

Delhi shivers as dense fog blankets national capital; flights diverted

General visibility dropped to zero at 6 am on Friday, prompting authorities to implement measures for safe operations

Himachal CM surrenders power subsidy, urges well-off consumers to follow

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday voluntarily relinquished the subsidy on all five power connections registered in his name. He also said that affluent citizens with multiple electricity connections should relinquish subsidies to support the development of the state. Submitting the required documents to Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board chairman Sanjay Gupta, Sukhu urged the well-off individuals in the state to follow suit by using the online portal of the board, or by calling helpline numbers 1100 or 1912, or by visiting their nearest electricity sub-division. Addressing a press conference, the chief minister said all the Cabinet members and Congress MLAs in the state have agreed to forgo their subsidies following detailed discussions. "The government spends Rs 2,200 crore annually on electricity subsidies and Rs 200 crore per month on salaries and pensions of electricity board employees. Subsidies should be reserved for the needy, and the

Delhi shivers on New Year's Day as frigid winds intensify cold wave

The Delhi Weather Centre has warned of worsening cold wave conditions from Wednesday, with wind speeds between 20 and 30 km/h likely to lower temperatures further

North India struggles with cold wave, IMD warns of harsher conditions

Reduced visibility due to dense fog has already started disrupting road and rail traffic, adding to the challenges posed by plummeting temperatures

Delhi's air gets better after rainfall as temperature drops in North India

Delhi woke up to cloudy skies with scanty to no rainfall in parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) in the early hours of Sunday (December 29)