Page 3 - Himachal Pradesh Government

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

Over 50 missing in Himachal after cloudburst in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu

Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukkhu said that rescue and relief operations are ongoing

Rs 10,351.82 cr to Himachal in Budget will immensely help state: Malhotra

Himachal Pradesh will benefit a lot from the Union Budget 2024-25 and receive Rs 10,351.82 crore from the central funds which will give a boost to developmental activities in the state, said Union Minister of State for Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra here on Saturday. Addressing a press conference to explain the provisions of the Union Budget, he said they will give impetus to horticulture, construction of roads and tunnels besides increasing the Mudra loan from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Asserting that enormous funds are being spent on construction of highways, tunnels and expansion of railway network, the minister said a sum of Rs 1,681 crore will be spent on the 4.1-km Shinkula Tunnel connecting Lahaul in Himachal and Zanskar in Ladakh located at an altitude of 15,800 feet. Its foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26. He said the road will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). He also informed that a su

Assembly bypolls: INDIA bloc wins 3 seats, leading in 8; BJP leading in 1

INDIA bloc parties won three assembly seats and were leading on eight, while the BJP and an Independent were ahead on one each as votes were counted on Saturday for the by-elections held earlier this week, according to the trends on the EC website. AAP's Mohinder Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife and Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur won in Dehra and TMC's Krishna Kalyani in West Bengal's Raiganj. The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), AAP and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in the bypolls held on Wednesday in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In Punjab, Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat by defeating his nearest rival and BJP nominee Sheetal Angural by a margin of 37,325 votes, the Election Commission (EC) said. The seat fell vacant after Angural resigned as the AAP legislator and joined the BJP in

BJP MLA Jamwal targets Himachal CM, calls him biggest contractor of lies

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is the biggest contractor of lies but his actions would not help the Congress to win the bypoll, Bilaspur (Sadar) MLA and BJP co-incharge of the Hamirpur assembly bypoll Trilok Jamwal said on Wednesday. "Sensing his party's defeat in all the three seats, including Hamirpur, the home district of the chief minister, Sukhu is making false allegations and accusations against BJP candidates," the MLA said in a statement issued here. Bypolls will be conducted for three assembly seats -- Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagargh -- on July 10. The seats fell vacant after three Independent legislators, who voted in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha elections, resigned and later joined the saffron party. The BJP has fielded all the three former MLAs from their respective seats. "If (Sukhvinder Singh) Sukhu says that during the Congress tenure, Ashish Sharma took contracts worth crore from him, then should it be understood that contracts are

Didn't want my wife to contest polls, but Cong brass insisted: HP CM Sukhu

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Wednesday said he did not want his wife to contest elections, but the party high command insisted she should, and announced her candidature for the Dehra assembly seat bypoll. Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur's name appear in the list of candidates released by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday. She has been fielded from the Dehra seat against two-time Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh, who is contesting this election on a BJP ticket. "I was not willing that my wife contests elections but could not refuse to the Congress High command" Sukhu told reporters late on Tuesday night. He said the party leadership had told him during the Lok Sabha elections too that Thakur should contest the elections "but I was not willing". "This time again when the High Command insisted, I could not refuse" given what the political scenario in the state demanded. He said his wife emerged as the front-runner in the part

Delhi water crisis: Himachal says no surplus water despite CM Sukhu's claim

Himachal Pradesh counsel told the Supreme Court that it doesn't have surplus water a day after CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had claimed to release excess water

Himachal bypoll: Cong fully prepared for elections, says HPCC leader Kimta

HPCC General Secretary Rajneesh Kimta on Thursday said the party is fully prepared for the upcoming assembly by-elections in the state and will face the money power with unity. In a statement released here, he informed that the Congress has appointed three ministers as in-charges for by-election to Dehra, Nalagarh and Hamirpur assembly seats. The three Independent MLAs -- Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh) -- resigned from the assembly on March 22 and joined the BJP the following day. The by-elections will be held on July 10. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar has been appointed incharge of Dehra assembly seat, Education Minister Rohit Thakur for Nalagarh and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani for Hamirpur. The Congress leaders have been alleging that nine MLAs, including six Congress rebels, and the three Independents who voted in favour of the BJP in Rajya Sabha polls on February 27 and BJP tried to topple the government by using

Amit Shah's remarks boost Thakur's campaign, stakes high for Sukhu

Stakes are high for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur in Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency where revolt in the Congress and four simultaneous six assembly byelections have made the parliamentary contest exciting. Thakur won the 2019 elections by 3,99,572 votes, 2014 polls by 98,403 votes, 2009 by 72,732 and 2008 byelection by 1,74,666 votes. Union Home minister Amit Shah's remarks that Hamirpur has got a ready-made minister and will not get an MP like him even if the people search with a lamp have given a boost to Thakur's campaign. It is also likely to benefit the BJP in the assembly byelections. Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri are intensively campaigning in the constituency and accusing Thakur of making tall promises and claiming that the Congress will wrest the seat this time. The Hamirpur parliamentary constituency is considered a bastion of the BJP. Out of the 17 elections including two byelections hel

PM Modi used money power to topple Himachal's Congress govt, says Priyanka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made all-out efforts to topple Himachal Pradesh's democratically-elected Congress government by using money power, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Monday. The Congress general secretary, who was campaigning in Chamba for the party's Kangra Lok Sabha seat candidate Anand Sharma, also said the Congress was in power for 55 years but could not become the richest party. The BJP, on the other hand, has become the richest party in the world in just 10 years, she claimed. "Modi made all-out efforts to topple the democratically-elected Congress government in the state by indulging in corrupt practices and using money power," Priyanka Gandhi said during the rally. She also asked the crowd at the rally if they would want such a leader. Priyanka Gandhi claimed that the only purpose of BJP leaders, starting from Modi, is to grab power at any cost and they indulge in corrupt practices, use money power, bribe legislators and mislead people in the nam

LS polls 2024: 37 candidates to contest four seats in Himachal Pradesh

Thirty-seven candidates will battle it out for Himachal Pradesh's four Lok Sabha seats while 25 are in the fray for the assembly bypolls in six seats. Friday was the last day to withdraw nominations. Polling for the four Lok Sabha seats and the bypolls to the six assembly constituencies will be held on June 1. The BJP, Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have fielded candidates from all four Lok Sabha seats but the main contest is between the ruling and the opposition parties. Ten candidates are in the fray in Mandi, where actor Kangana Ranaut is taking on Vikramaditya Singh. Singh's mother Pratibha Singh is the outgoing MP from the seat. In Kangra, which is also being contested by 10 candidates, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma is taking on the BJP's Rajiv Bharadwaj. The Congress has fielded Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri against incumbent MP Suresh Kashyap of the BJP in Shimla, where five candidates are in the fray. In Hamirpur, Union Minister

Yellow alert in Himachal after 104 roads blocked in rain, snowfall

Normal life was disrupted in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday as higher reaches received snowfall and rain lash mid and lower hills, blocking 104 roads and three national highways, officials said. The vehicular movement to Keylong was suspended due to a massive landslide at the Selfie Point near Sissu on Manali- Keylong highway, they said. As many as 104 roads, including 99 in Lahaul and Spiti, are closed due to snowfall, according to the state emergency operation centre. Movement on Gramphu-Losar, Darcha-Sarchu and Rohtang Pass were blocked in Lahaul and Spiti, it said. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed men and machinery to clear the blockade and traffic is expected to resume in next two to three hours, a spokesman of BRO said. The local meteorological station has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm at isolated places on April 22 and 23. It has forecast rain in mid hills and rain and snowfall in higher reaches for the next six days from April 21 to April 26 as a