Himachal Pradesh

Losses of Himachal's 30 PSEs rose from Rs 3,953 cr to Rs 4,778 cr: CAG

The accumulated losses of state public sector enterprises (PSEs) rose from Rs 3,953.70 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 4,778.70 crore in 2022-23, while the profit earned by 13 SPSEs stood at Rs 20.21 crore as on September 30, 2023, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on finances tabled in the Assembly on Saturday. The net worth of nine out of these 14 PSEs has been completely eroded by losses and their worth was (-) Rs 1,932 crore against an equity investment of Rs 2,085.59 crore, while three PSEs have outstanding government loans amounting Rs 3,132 crore, the report said. Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board topped the list of loss making enterprises with accumulated losses of Rs 1,809.61 crore, followed by Himachal Pradesh Road Corporation at Rs 1707.12 crore, HP Power Corporation at Rs 552 crore, Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation at Rs 395.91 crore, HP Financial Corporation at Rs 180.97 crore, State Forest Corporation at Rs 113.04 crore, HPM

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh record sharp rise in forest fires: ISFR

Uttarakhand reported the highest number of forest fires this season, with incidents rising fourfold, according to government data. Himachal Pradesh witnessed a 14-fold increase in forest fires compared to the previous season. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) - 2023, released on Saturday, showed that Uttarakhand recorded 5,351 forest fires in the last season (November 2022 to June 2023), ranking 13th among all states. This season, the number surged to 21,033, making it the state with the most forest fires. Himachal Pradesh, which recorded only 704 forest fires last season, saw the number rise sharply to 10,136 this season. Odisha, which recorded 20,973 incidents this season against 33,461 last season, ranked second, followed by Chhattisgarh (18,950), Andhra Pradesh (18,174), Maharashtra (16,008), Madhya Pradesh (15,878) and Telangana (13,479). Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who released the report, said forest fires were the biggest problem confronting his ...

Winter session of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha records 106% productivity

The four-day-long winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, which concluded here on Saturday, achieved a record productivity rate of 106 per cent, an official said. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania announced the indefinite adjournment of the seventh session of the 14th Vidhan Sabha, with four meetings spanning a total of 21 hours and 20 minutes. During the discussions in the session, the ruling party contributed 9 hours and 30 minutes, while the opposition participated for 8 hours and 30 minutes. The session also marked a historic milestone with the launch of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) on December 18, making Himachal Pradesh a pioneer in digitised legislative processes, Pathania said. The session featured the inaugural "Zero Hour," during which 26 subjects were discussed, he added. Congress MLA from Lahaul and Spiti, Anuradha Rana, became the first legislator to raise an issue under Zero Hour. According to Pathania, a total of 14 government bills were intro

Severe cold wave hits India: North freezes, Delhi chokes on 'severe' AQI

India shivers under a cold wave as freezing temperatures grip the north, while Delhi's air quality worsens to 'severe', prompting Grap Stage IV restrictions

Himachal to include constitutional values in school curriculum syllabus

He directed the officers to complete all the formalities for setting up these schools in a time-bound manner and directed them to prepare parameters for their administrative control

HP govt notifies homestay rules, extends special aid to disaster-hit areas

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday approved the recommendations of a sub-committee led by Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on the operation of homestays in the state, and decided to notify the Himachal Pradesh Homestays Rules, 2024. According to the new provisions, preference will be given to bonafide Himachalis, while the requirement to obtain no objection certificates (NOCs) from the HP Pollution Control Board, local bodies or any other department has been waived, an official statement said. The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also decided to extend the special relief package given to the disaster-hit areas in 2023 to people affected by natural disasters at Samej and Rampur in Shimla district, Jaun-Bagipul and Nirmand in Kullu district, and Tikkam Thalu-Kot in Mandi district during this year's monsoon, in which more than 30 people lost their lives with several still missing. Under the special package, the affected families will receive enhanc

Himachal CM Sukhu launches 6 new schemes to mark two years of Congress govt

Aiming to promote natural farming, the Chief Minister introduced Him Bhog Atta, prepared from maize grown using natural farming practices

Himachal Guv's convoy meets with accident in Lucknow, several injured

However, the Himachal Pradesh Governor reached his destination safely and the situation was normal

Corrupt Congress govt brought Himachal on brink of bankruptcy: BJP

In a blistering attack against the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur Tuesday alleged that the "corrupt" Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu dispensation has brought the state on the "brink of bankruptcy". Addressing the BJP's "Akrosh Rally" here, a day ahead of an event to mark two years of the Congress dispensation in the state, Thakur said, "What is the Congress celebrating on completion of two years in power when it has no achievements to show?" He said the BJP is opposing the event which he termed "celebrations of getting ruined". Alleging the state government employees and pensioners were not getting their monthly emoluments, Thakur claimed outsourced workers were also awaiting their salaries for the past four months. "The people of the state have been burdened but crores of rupees are being spent on celebrations," he said. "The Congress government has lost the confidence of the people and failed to fulfil the poll guarante

Himachal govt to set up regulated markets for fair prices: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government will set up regulated markets to ensure farmers get fair prices for their produce, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Monday. These markets will strengthen the economic condition of the people and save them time, he said. Inaugurating a regulated market at Totu in the suburbs of Shimla, constructed at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore, Sukhu explained that farmers were previously forced to travel to Shimla, often causing financial losses. He said that this market would greatly benefit farmers from various panchayats, including Dhami, Ghanahati, Majthai, Bagi, Dhamoon, Baichadi, Dhanda, Chail, Nehra, Devnagar, Glot, Jubbarhatti, Rampuri, Shakrah and Kalihatti by ensuring better prices for cash crops and vegetables near their homes The new facility includes eight shops, an auction platform, a 20-bed dormitory for farmers, a spacious hall for public events and other essential amenities. Sukhu noted that the establishment of this market addressed a

Himachal CM Sukhu announces 180-day maternity leave for home guards

Women Home Guards would be provided 180 days of maternity leave while the daily allowance for Home Guards during deployment outside the State would be increased from Rs 60 to Rs 500, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday. Presiding over the 62nd State-Level Raising Day celebrations of the Himachal Pradesh Home Guards and Civil Defence here, he said that the government would fill 700 vacant Home Guard posts to strengthen the force. He also announced establishment of drone stations at all district headquarters to enhance disaster management capabilities and sanctioned a new landline number at the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Control Room to facilitate the people, a statement issued here said. Emphasizing the commitment to modernizing the SDRF with advanced equipment and allocating sufficient funds for this purpose, he said that presently, SDRF was equipped with drones capable of lifting up to 5 kg and this force would soon receive drones with higher payload ...

HP govt bans gutkha, liquor ads from state buses, promoting public welfare

HP government to remove gutkha and liquor ads from buses and it will modernise the bus fleet by introducing electric and diesel buses

Bara Bhangal in Kangra to get road connectivity in two years: Himachal CM

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is prioritising to provide road connectivity in remote and hard areas

HC orders attachment of Delhi's Himachal Bhawan as govt fails to clear dues

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the attachment of the Himachal Bhawan in Delhi for the recovery of Rs 150 crore that the state government owes to a power firm, Seli Hydropower Electrical Company. Passing the order on Monday, a single-judge bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel said the company may take appropriate steps for auction of Himachal Bhawan located in central Delhi's Mandi House area thereof. The case pertains to the 340 MW Seli Hydropower Electric Project on the Chenab river in Lahaul and Spiti district. The state government awarded the project to Seli Hydro Electric Power Company Limited/Moser Baer and issued the Letter of Allotment (LOA) on February 28, 2009, following which the firm deposited the upfront premium of Rs 64 crore. However, the project did not materialise. The state government cancelled the LOA and ordered forfeiture of the upfront premium. The company challenged the decision before an arbitrator which ruled in its favour and asked the government

Himachal govt expands 'CM Sukh-Ashray Yojana' to support abandoned children

Under the expanded Mukhyamantri Sukhashrya Yojana, certificates for eligible children would be issued by district child welfare committees, a government release said

Cong govt stable, BJP's attempts to destabilise will fail: HP ministers

PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the High Court's decision declared CPS appointments unconstitutional, but the law was valid at the time of the appointments

HP TET admit card 2024: Hall tickets to be out soon; exam from Nov 15

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) is preparing for the Himachal Pradesh Teachers Eligibility Test (HP TET) November 2024 session

Anurag Thakur hits Congress for broken promises, says Himachal govt cheated

BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the party's history was littered with broken promises and people of Himachal Pradesh were paying a price by voting it to power. Thakur, who is in Maharashtra amid the BJP's campaign for the November 20 assembly polls, urged people to vote for the Mahayuti if they wanted to save the state. Talking to reporters, the BJP leader highlighted Mahayuti's track record on development, asserting that it is the only choice for those seeking honest governance and sustained progress. He said the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh with a "laundry list of guarantees" about uplifting citizens, and months into its rule, people are left wondering about these promises. There was not a single party that the Congress never cheated, he said. "The party's history is littered with broken promises and false assurances, and this time, Himachal Pradesh is paying the price," the former Union minister said.

No infiltration by China on Himachal border, says Governor Shukla

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday said there is no infiltration by China on the border of the state. His remarks came days after Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that drones have been spotted on the Indo-China border in Kinnaur district. "China has now understood that they cannot take even a single inch of Indian land," Shukla said. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the Panchayati Raj Department at the Raj Bhawan here. "China has now understood that they cannot take even a single inch of Indian land," the governor said. The tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti share a 240-km border with China which is traversed by nine high altitude mountain passes. When asked about the statement of Revenue Minister Negi that drones have been spotted on the Indo-China border in Kinnaur district and that they are likely being used for surveillance and espionage purposes, Shukla said, "I have visited the border areas of

Govt strengthening SDRF for effective emergency response: Himachal CM

To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency response system in Himachal Pradesh, the state government is working diligently to strengthen the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. In this effort, the state government has taken two important decisions. First, the entire response framework will be unified under the additional director general of home guards and civil defence, ensuring a coordinated approach to any emergency or disaster management. Secondly, home guards will be assigned to SDRF for a period of two years to reinforce the system's capacity and resilience, a statement issued here said. "The state government is prioritising the strengthening of SDRF in view of the increasing frequency of cloudbursts and other natural disasters," Sukhu said in the statement. "The state government intends to make the system more organised and effective to safeguard lives and reduce losses. Himachal Pradesh is vulnerabl