Page 2 - Himachal Pradesh Government

Mandi tension: CM Sukhu makes appeal to maintain peace, welcome tourists

Amid tension after demand for demolition of "unauthorised" mosque structure in Mandi and protests by Hindu outfits, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday appealed to the people to maintain peace and brotherhood and said tourists are welcome. "We appeal to maintain peace and brotherhood and welcome tourists," said the chief minister while addressing media persons after an all-party meeting here with state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, BJP leader Randhir Sharma, CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha, AAP leader Surjit Singh and others. "I have appealed to everyone to maintain peace and make no provocative statements, and that is why an all-party meeting. No one is allowed to take the law into their hands. "We respect everyone. The land of Himachal has respect for all religions," the chief minister said. Referring to the protest on Friday by Hindu organisations demanding demolition of the "encroached" structure of a mosque in Mandi town, he said Himachal Pradesh is a

State govt to bear only 28% of Shimla's Ropeway project: Himachal CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh government would bear only 28 per cent cost of Rs 1,734.70 crore Shimla Innovative Urban Transportation Ropeway Network Project, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said in the state assembly on Thursday. The 13.65 km long Ropeway from Tara Devi to Shimla would be executed on EPS (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode, he said in a written response to a question by BJP's Sudhir Sharma. The rate of interest would be finalised after a tripartite agreement between the state government, Finance Ministry and Department of Economic Affairs and Government of India, he said. The fare for commuters has not been decided yet, Sukhu said. Tenders for advance purchases would be invited only after approval from National Development Bank. The contribution of the state government would be 20 per cent while NDB funding would be 80 per cent of which 90 per cent would be subsidy and 10 per cent would be loans. Adding the loan component, the contribution of the state ...

Explained: Himachal's financial woes and efforts to regain fiscal control

Himachal Pradesh government has revoked pensions for disqualified MLAs, withdrawn subsidies, and adjusted salary and pension payments to save costs amid mounting debt and fiscal pressures

Himachal Assembly passes Bill, bars defected MLAs from receiving pension

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill which will bar the members of the House who are disqualified under Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) from drawing pension. The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members (Amendment) Bill, 2024 will affect six former Congress MLAs, who were disqualified by the Speaker for defying the whip and abstaining from the House during discussion on cut motions and passing of Budget in February. The opposition BJP objected to the Bill stating that it smacks of "political revenge" and it cannot be implemented with retrospective effect. The six former MLAs who will be impacted due to the Bill are Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Rajinder Rana, Devinder Kumar Bhutto, Chetanya Sharma and Ravi Thakur. All of them had voted in favour of the BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections held in February. All six had contested the bypolls on BJP tickets earlier this year. While

Himachal bill to end pension for MLAs disqualified under anti-defection law

Earlier this year, six Congress MLAs - Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar - were disqualified under the anti-defection law

HP govt to open one model health centre in every assembly constituency: CM

The Himachal Pradesh government is focusing on strengthening health care services and the government has decided to open one model health centre in every assembly constituency, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday. There are 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Intervening in reply to a question of Anuradha Rana (Congress), Sukhu said nine staff nurses are being sent to all the model health institutions. Replying to the main question, Health and Family Welfare minister Dr Dhani Ram Shandil informed that 600 appointments of different categories will be made shortly under the National Health Mission (NHM) and there will be no shortage of staff in the model health centres. He said the matter regarding the appointment of 600 doctors has been sent to the State Public Service Commission and 37 posts of female health workers have been sanctioned for the model health centres. Replying to another question of Kewal Singh Pathania (Congress), th

SC issues notice to HP on Adani Power's plea seeking Rs 280 cr refund

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Himachal Pradesh on a plea filed by Adani Power Limited seeking a refund of Rs 280 crore along with interest from the state government in connection with two hydropower projects in Kinnaur district. On July 18, a division bench of the high court had overturned the decision of a single bench to return the amount of Rs 280 crore to Adani Power. An apex court bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar issued notice to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government on the appeal filed by Adani Power challenging the high court order. Adani Power has moved the top court against the high court judgment. "It will be crucial to mention here that the Council of Ministers (of Himachal government) had decided to issue the refund vide decision on September 4, 2015. Admittedly, the State on its volition had decided to refund the said monies to the petitioner (Adani Power). "However, the petitioner has remained out of pocket without any reason and at

Himachal mulls freebies rollback: Why is the state in a financial tangle?

Promises like reviving the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), paying Rs 1,500 to women, and providing free power have contributed to the financial strain, with the state now facing a debt of Rs 86,589 crore

HP govt signs MoU with Dubai-based firm for overseas jobs to youths

The Himachal Pradesh government and a Dubai-based firm on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for overseas placements of the youths of the state in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The MoU was signed by Deputy Director (Employment) Sandeep Thakur on behalf of the government and EFS Facilities Services Group Limited CEO Tariq Chauhan. The CM on the occasion offered appointment letters to Una's Rajat Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Jaspreet Singh, and Abhinav Sharma, and Hamirpur district's Dinesh. The Visa process of all five candidates is under process and they are expected to go to Saudi Arabia in September this year, where they will work on the NEOM city project. Sukhu said that the MoU would pave the way for better employment opportunities for Himachali youths. The CM also directed the Labour and Employment Department to evolve a mechanism to track the well-being of the candidates working abroad and suggested the use of Mukhya Mantri Sewa Sankalp Helpline 11

Himachal govt raised loans worth Rs 21,366 cr in last 20 months: CM Sukhu

Earlier on Thursday during the Assembly session, CM Sukhu said that the financial condition of the state is not good

Himachal Pradesh raises women's marriage age from 18 to 21: What's next?

The Bill seeks to eliminate the age distinction between men and women in the definition of a child, ensuring that both genders are treated equally under the law

Himachal govt to implement Bulk Drug Park Project on its own, says CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government will implement the Bulk Drug Park Project on its own and provide land and electricity at subsidised rates to the investors, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. The project worth Rs 1,000 crore aims to set up a mega drug manufacturing facility spanning 570 hectares in the Haroli assembly segment of Una district. Intervening during Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan's reply to a question by Congress's Kewal Singh Pathania on the Bulk Drug Park, Sukhu said the terms and conditions of the project would be revised after 10 years. Water and electricity would be supplied at commercial rates and charges would be levied for waste, solid waste, and steam management, he added. Sukhu also blamed the previous BJP government for allegedly failing to secure the interests of the state while signing memorandums of understanding for hydropower and other projects. Agreements for Dhaulasidh, Luhri and Sunni hydropower projects were signed aga

Himachal govt allocates Rs 53.21 cr to 'Mukhya Mantri Sukh Shiksha Yojana'

Children who secure admission to undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, or vocational courses will receive financial aid from the government

Profit-making bodies asked to release DA, other arrears: Himachal CM Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the profit-making boards and corporations in Himachal Pradesh have been asked to release dearness allowances and other arrears of their employees. Sukhu's announcement came after his interaction with delegations of various associations of non-gazetted employees and teachers who called on the chief minister to apprise him of their demands, a statement issued here said. He also told the unions' representatives that the state government will release dearness allowances (DA) and other employee benefits once the financial condition of the state improves, according to the release. He assured them that he would review the financial position of the state within a month, following which a meeting would be held with them in September end, it added. Representatives of three unions -- Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Association, Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Services Association, and Teachers' Association met the chief ..

Telangana CLP endorses Singhvi for RS bypoll; to file nomination today

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Telangana on Sunday night endorsed the candidature of Abhishek Singhvi for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll in the state. The Congress leader and senior lawyer will file his nomination papers on Monday. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the CLP here, Telangana Chief Minister and state Congress president A Revanth Reddy said Singhvi was introduced to Congress MLAs, MPs and MLCs at the meeting. Reddy said he wholeheartedly invited the legal luminary. Singhvi will file his nomination on Monday. Referring to the disputes with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh following its bifurcation in 2014, he said Singhvi's election would help in highlighting Telangana's concerns and problems not only in Parliament but also in courts. Singhvi's election to the Rajya Sabha would help Telangana to safeguard and secure its rights, Reddy said. "I wholeheartedly invite him on behalf of Telangana as Rajya Sabha member," he said. The CLP meeting expressed gratitu

Himachal cloudburst: 53 still missing, six bodies recovered so far

Special Secretary DC Rana of the DDMA said that over sixty houses were washed away and several villages have been severely affected by the floods

Himachal cloudburst: Death toll rises to 8, rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway on Friday to trace about 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday. With recovery of three more bodies, the death toll due to the flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision has increased to eight. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu along with Education Minister Rohit Thakur visited Samej on the border of Shimla and Kullu district to take stock of the situation and talk to the victims. Over 30 people were missing after a cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev route on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Sarpara, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs. Talking to reporters, Sukhu said 17-18 women and 8-9 children are among those missing. The rescue of people is our first priority. The chief minister announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month

Central financial assistance sought for cloudburst-hit Himachal, U'khand

Central government should in bipartisan manner provide financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where cloudbursts and accompanying landslides and floods have claimed nearly two dozen lives and several are still missing, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari demanded in Rajya Sabha on Friday. Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, he said six people have died and 50 are missing following cloudbursts in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. Three national highways as well as dozens of other roads have shut due to flooding, stranding tourists and other commuters. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, 16 people have died and many are missing following heavy rains. "Due to cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 22 people have died and 60 are missing," he said. He demanded that the central government should provide adequate financial assistance. "Last time, Himachal Pradesh was not given financial assistance," he said. Tiruchi Siva of DMK raised the we

Himachal cloudburst: Rescue ops underway to trace 45 missing people

Rescue operations were underway on Friday to trace over 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, while 29 people stranded at the site of a power project in the state were brought to safety overnight, officials said. Cloudbursts in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts on Wednesday had left five people dead and over 45 missing. Thirty-three people were also stuck in Malana II power project in Manikaran area of Kullu district. Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh, said 29 out of the 33 have been rescued. A wall and way to a tunnel was damaged due to rains and water entered the barrage but the teams of the NDRF and home guard managed to rescue 29 people, while four persons are still in the power house. The relatives of the missing people are campaigning at the spot and the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, State Disaster ..

Monsoon rains: IMD chief defends Kerala, U'khand, HP rainfall warnings

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued forecasts for significant rainfall activity along the west coast of India on a regular basis and a red alert for Kerala in the early morning of July 30, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Kerala government did not heed the Centre's warning regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains. Heavy rain-induced landslides claimed over 150 lives in Wayanad district on Tuesday morning (July 30). Responding to Shah's claim, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the IMD had only issued an orange alert in the district ahead of the landslides. However, he said that the district received over 572 mm of rainfall, which was significantly higher than what was predicted by the IMD. During an online press conference, the IMD chief said the weather department had issued an extended range forecast for significant rainfall activity along the we