Shimla: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Friday criticised the state government for cut in special plan assistance in the annual plan for 2013-14. He said the assistance has been reduced from Rs 1,400 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 1,350 crore during 2013-14 which is a cause of concern as it would retard the pace of development. Reacting to the reports regarding cut in special plan assistance,...
02:15 AM, May 11, 2013
Dharamsala: God of cricket Sachin Tendulkar's imminent knock in the land of gods has sent the excitement quotient soaring across the boundary. His fans are desperately awaiting his first ever match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's (HPCA) sole venue, located at an altitude of 4,000 feet above sea level here, May 18 when Mumbai Indians take on Kings XI Punjab. "Most of the tickets for the second IPL match...
08:31 PM, May 07, 2013
Tissa: When a right to information (RTI) activist in Himachal Pradesh exposed misuse of public funds some years back, he did not expect that his fight for truth would expose him and his family to threats and social boycott. Manjur Mohammed, 26, who hails from remote Naila village in the Muslim-dominated Kalhel panchayat of Tissa block of Chamba district, has been facing the wrath of his fellow villagers. "I accessed...
05:57 AM, May 06, 2013
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday said the state would adopt zero tolerance towards corruption. "Anyone found involved in corruption, including government employees, would be dealt with strictly," the chief minister said while laying the foundation stone of a bridge on the Lander rivulet on the Sohari-Chaksarai road in Una district. The bridge will be constructed at a cost of Rs.3 crore. He said the government would...
05:10 AM, May 03, 2013
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday announced to construct four hostels for labourers and increased their medical reimbursement allowance from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per year. "The hostels would be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore," Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh announced at May Day rally at Tahliwal in Una on Wednesday. "Labour laws are being strictly implemented, government has taken effective steps to provide better residential accommodation...
10:59 PM, May 01, 2013
Kolkata: Waking up to the threats and consequences of high rate of tobacco consumption in the population, the West Bengal government has imposed a ban on the manufacture, sale of gutka, pan masala or any other product containing tobacco or Nicotine. The ban comes into effect on Wednesday till next one year. Madhya Pradesh took the first step followed by Kerala and Bihar. Maharashtra banned both gutka and pan masala....
06:06 AM, May 01, 2013
Shimla: State unit of BJP has criticised the government for steep hike in power tariff, saying it has burdened 18 lakh domestic consumers with over Rs 500 crore. "For the first time, power tariff has been hiked by 70 paise per unit and even domestic consumers have not been spared," party spokesman Ganesh Dutt said. He accused the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) of unilaterally announcing the tariff order without...
01:15 AM, Apr 29, 2013
Shimla: Power tariffs in Himachal Pradesh have been hiked by up to 16 per cent for all categories, including domestic consumers (except BPL families) with immediate effect. The increase will be reflected in the electricity bill generated for April 2013, State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) announced in its tariff order in Shimla on Saturday. Tariff for domestic users would be hiked by 16 per cent, while industrial and commercial consumers...
01:30 AM, Apr 28, 2013
Shimla: The Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft), known as gateway to tribal Lahaul and Pangi valleys of Himachal Pradesh, will be opened for vehicular traffic by the first week of May after nearly four months. Snow clearing work on the pass is over and normal vehicular traffic to tribal valleys, which were cut off by road due to snowfall from December last year, will be resumed by first week of May,...
09:22 PM, Apr 25, 2013
Shimla: To ensure completion of hydro-power projects in time, a committee would be set up that will monitor the ongoing projects and address the problems of delay in getting clearances. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday directed the officials concerned to complete the hydropower projects within time bound to avoid cost escalation. The committee headed by Chief Secretary would be in place soon to supervise and monitor the progress of...
01:19 AM, Apr 25, 2013
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday said his government would not wreak political vendetta but would not deviate from the policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. Speaking at the convention of the district Shimla Congress Committee in Shimla, the chief minister accused the previous BJP government of having breached the democratic rights, especially the right to privacy of common man by illegally tapping their phones and warned...
02:27 AM, Apr 18, 2013
New Delhi: A mild tremor shook Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning, MeT officials said. The quake measuring 3.9 magnitude on the Richter Scale was felt at 8:32 am and was epicentred at Chamba, Met department said. There was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, they said. ...
01:50 PM, Apr 17, 2013
Shimla: Twelve people, some of them children, were killed in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 700-metre-deep gorge while they were on their way back from playing a cricket match, police said on Monday. The accident took place on Sunday night. The victims were all between 11 and 25 years old. They died on the spot and their bodies were recovered...
10:51 AM, Apr 15, 2013
Shimla: Government auditor CAG has found revenue loss of Rs 1,569.41 crore in Himachal Pradesh due to under assessment and short levy during financial year 2011-12. There has also been an increase of 13 per cent in revenue collections in 2011-2012 and the state also received Rs 1,998.37 crore as its share of divisible union taxes, the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG's) report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha by Chief...
12:38 AM, Apr 10, 2013
The HPCA will have to clear the earlier dues amounting to about Rs 2.36 crore and will be charged for providing security for upcoming IPL matches. ...
09:36 AM, Mar 24, 2013
The BJP on Thursday created a ruckus in the Himachal Pradesh assembly, expressing dissatisfaction over the chief minister's reply to a discussion on the 2013-14 state budget. ...
04:15 AM, Mar 22, 2013
Himachal restricted J & K to 133 for 5 and then chased down the target with 11 balls to spare. ...
06:15 PM, Mar 21, 2013
Himachal Pradesh's loan liability by the end of this fiscal (2012-13) is likely to be over Rs.28,513 crore, and the government plans to fix it by cutting "wasteful expenditure", Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said. "We will improve the financial health of the state by cutting wasteful expenditure," the chief minister told IANS. ...
05:09 AM, Mar 18, 2013
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday accused his predecessor Prem Kumar Dhumal in the illegal mass tapping of phones of politicians and bureaucrats when he was heading the erstwhile BJP government. Dhumal refuted the charges. ...
06:50 AM, Mar 13, 2013
