Page 14 - Himachal Pradesh

Snowless Himalayas: Why Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand have no snow this winter

ACC gets full ownership of Asian Concretes for Rs 775 cr enterprise value

Asian Concretes (ACCPL) was earlier an associate company of ACC, in which it already held a 45 per cent stake. ACC had first invested in Asian Concretes in 2010 for an undisclosed value

CM Sukhu distributes relief package worth over Rs 9 cr in Sirmaur district

During his visit to Nahan in Sirmaur district, CM Sukhu disbursed Rs 1.98 crore to 66 families with completely damaged houses, providing each family with an initial instalment of Rs 3 lakh

BJP sets target of increasing vote share by 10% in Lok Sabha polls in HP

The Himachal Pradesh BJP has set a target of increasing its vote share by 10 per cent in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, banking on the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, party leaders said on Saturday. The party charted a road map for the elections at a meeting of its state core committee in the presence of national president J P Nadda Friday night. The leaders discussed about increasing the vote share and winning margin, the party's media department in-charge Randhir Sharma said on Saturday. The target is to increase the vote share by 10 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May, coming after the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. After the party's victory in recent assembly elections in three states, the aim is to surpass the previous victory margin in Himachal Pradesh, he told reporters. He said Nadda visit to the state, following the party's victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has enthused the party cadre in the hill state. A meet

After floods, tourists have started turning towards Himachal once again: CM

CM Sukhu thanked all the tourists coming to the state

Himachal govt issues notification to grant ST status to Hatti community

The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday issued a notification granting Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the Hatti community of Sirmaur district's Transgiri area. Members of the community, who reside in 154 panchayats of the area, had been demonstrating against the state government over not implementing the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 2023, and notifying the community as ST. After a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told a press conference that the state government had sought a clarification from the Centre regarding scheduled castes status among the Hatti community in September last year after the law department raised some objections. "I was in continuous touch with Union Home Minister Amit Shah," he said. "I had promised that a notification would be issued in this regard within 24 hours after the clarification is received and the promise stands fulfilled in 10 hours," Sukhu said, adding that he would go to Nahan on January 3

150k tourists likely to be in Shimla for New Year's Eve; 200 cops deployed

Shimla is preparing for a tourist surge and traffic snarls on New Year's Eve and Shimla Police is taking measures to maintain traffic order and public safety

LIVE news: Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu joins YSR Congress

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Himachal Pradesh: Chintpurni traders protest against passenger ropeway

Hundreds of traders from the Chintpurni area in Una district shut their shops to carry out a procession through the main bazaar in protest against a passenger ropeway to the Mata Chintpurni temple. They closed the market on Wednesday and sat on strike near Baba Maidas House, a statement issued by the traders' body on Thursday said. The protest came in response to a 1.1-km aerial ropeway proposed to be constructed with an outlay of Rs 76.50 crore. The ropeway, which would transport 700 passengers per hour in each direction, is aimed at enhancing the pilgrims' experience. The state government had recently handed over a 'Letter of Award' for the development of the project to a company. The Trade Board said that the distance to the temple is only 1 km and the ropeway will destroy the businesses of thousands of shopkeepers. The temple administration keeps golf carts for the movement of elderly, disabled, and sick who come to the temple. Traders said that the ropeway construction woul

Nearly 100,000 tourists expected in Shimla for New Year, says Police

The Shimla SP further informed that the department is monitoring the traffic with CCTV and drone

Tough yr for CM Sukhu as monsoon fury compounds Himachal's financial crunch

It was the worst monsoon in living memory for most people in Himachal Pradesh, unleashing its fury just when the new Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government was settling in. Rains lashed the state for several days during July-August. In Shimla district alone, there were three major landslides that killed nearly 30 people. Altogether, 509 people died and 38 went missing in the state during the 2023 monsoon. Over 15,000 became homeless and the state government pegged the loss to public and private property at Rs 12,000 crore. Already facing a financial crunch, the new Congress government failed to convince the Centre to declare this a national calamity and sanction the amount as a special relief package. From its own resources, it announced a package of Rs 4,500 crore for disaster-affected people. Over the year, the government and the opposition BJP bickered over who was responsible for Himachal's money problems. The Sukhu government presented a white paper, arguing that it inherited a deb

High indebted Punjab, Himachal may breach BE of fiscal deficit in FY24

Punjab had over 40% debt as a proportion of GSDP in 2019-20 too, while Himachal Pradesh had 39.1%

Hotel demand surge in HP; record 28,210 vehicle cross Atal Tunnel in a day

The craze to visit Atal Tunnel propelled hotel occupancy in key hill resorts of Shimla, Manali to 90 per cent, as a record 28,210 vehicles crossed the Atal Tunnel on a single day on Sunday (December 24). After snowfall at Atal tunnel on Saturday, tourists made beeline to the tunnel and a record number of 28,210 vehicles crossed Atal Tunnel on Sunday, according to Lahaul and Spiti police on Monday. The hoteliers are upbeat as the local MeT office has predicted rain in mid hills and rain and snow in higher hills on December 30 and 31. The occupancy is around 90 per cent and the Manali Carnival from January 1 to 6, which would showcase local culture and cuisines, would boost tourist arrival in the year-end, said President of Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur. "We welcome the tourists, who have come to the State in lakhs," said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding that Himachal has stood up again after the disaster to welcome th

Himachal CM dedicates newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel to people

The newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel, built at a cost of Rs 47.36 crore, was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here on Monday. Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sukhu said the construction work of the 154.22-metre tunnel was going on at a snail's pace under the previous government in the hill state and the Congress government expedited it and the structure was completed within a year. The state government has directed all departments to ensure a time-bound completion of every project, Sukhu was quoted as saying in a statement issued here. The existing Dhalli tunnel, which was constructed in 1852, served as a single-lane passage and had surpassed its design life, causing persistent traffic congestion. With the inauguration of the new tunnel, these issues would be addressed. Tourism, a key industry in Himachal Pradesh, stands to benefit significantly from the improved connectivity. The tunnel, strategically positioned on th

HP revives after disastrous floods, tourists visit for Christmas, New Year

He asserted that Himachal will soon stand up from the aftermath of the disaster and as a testimony of fact, today the state is all ready to welcome the tourists

Himachal Pradesh govt raised Rs 13,055 crore debt in 2022-23: CAG

The Himachal Pradesh government raised loans amounting Rs 13,055 crore during 2022-23, increasing the debt burden from Rs 73,534 in 2021-22 to Rs 86,589 crore in 2022-23, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in its report on Finance Accounts for 2022-23. The loan also included the loans raised in the last quarter of 2022-23. The report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that out of the total amount of Rs 50,539 crore spent during the year, more than 50 per cent was paid towards salaries and pension and expenditure on these heads increased after implementation of Sixth Pay Commission, which was followed by Himachal Pradesh. However, the revenue deficit, which was Rs 7,962 crore in 2021-22, was marginally lower at Rs 6,335 crore in 2022-23. The expenditure on salaries, which was Rs 11,641 crore in 2021-22, increased to Rs 15,669 crore in the last financial year after the revision of pay scales. Similarly, the cost of payme

HP fiscal deficit may rise to be 5.82 pc of SGDP due to higher liabilities

Fiscal deficit of Himachal Pradesh is expected at 5.82 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), higher than projected deficit of 4.61 per cent in 2023-24 due to a rise in liabilities such as salary, pension, interest payment and social security. The tax revenue is likely to decrease by Rs 752.33 crore and the revenue deficit would be Rs 1,368.81 crore, more than anticipated, as per the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRMB) report tabled in the house by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday. Further, the expenditure on pension is likely to be increased by Rs 621.22 crore from Rs 8,693 crore to Rs 9,315 crore , primary deficit would increase from Rs 4,338.13 crore to Rs 6,953.72 crore. The government has assured to bring down the deficit by curtailing expenditure and resource mobilisation. The total committed liability of the government are projected to increase from Rs 29,88,177 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 32,34,477 in 2024-25, Rs 34,75,859 crore in .

13% decline in road accidents in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, say Police

Himachal Pradesh saw a 13 per cent drop in the number of road accidents reported in the state this year, police officials said on Friday. There has been a 13 per cent reduction in road traffic accidents, 19 per cent dip in deaths due to them and 15 per cent drop in injuries between January 1 and December 1 as compared to the same period in 2022, a statement issued here by the police headquarters said. The reduction in the number of road accidents reflects the greater awareness among drivers in Himachal Pradesh and the improvement in identifying black spots on national highways and district roads, Director General Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu said. The number of accidents has come down despite a 10 per cent growth in road lengths and a nine per cent growth of vehicle registration, he said. The state police is determined to reduce traffic accidents by adopting best practices being followed the world over, he said. A team of the World Bank has also complimented the Himachal Pradesh Poli

India's apple imports may rise after crop damage in Kashmir, Himachal

Country is the world's fifth largest producer of the fruit but rains and floods have hurt domestic yield this year

Himachal Pradesh tops unemployment chart in July-Sept: Labour Survey

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed the highest overall unemployment rate of 33.9 per cent, followed by Rajasthan at 30.2 per cent, among the age group of 15 to 29 years in cities during July-September 2023, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The PLFS data of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) also revealed that unemployment among the 15-29 age group in urban areas was high among females at 49.2 per cent in the July-September quarter of this fiscal year as compared to 25.3 per cent among males in Himachal Pradesh. in the case of Rajasthan, the joblessness in females in cities was high at 39.4 per cent in the quarter as against 27.2 per cent in males. Jammu & Kashmir also reported a high rate of joblessness at 29.8 per cent in the age group in cities. In the case of Jammu & Kashmir, unemployment was high among females at 51.8 per cent in the quarter compared to 19.8 per cent among males in the period in cities. The data showed that the overall unemployment ..