Shimla : Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today held video conferencing with Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Chief Medical Officers and District Food and Civil Supplies Controllers of all districts from Shimla to take stock of the situation in the wake of 21-day lockdown in the country as well as in the state due to corona outbreak.

The CM urged the people to remain indoors as the government had taken this step keeping in view their safety as corona virus was a pandemic. He said that action would be taken against violators under Clinical Establishment Act or Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and sections of the IPC.

The Chief Minister directed the officers to ensure availability of essential commodities in their respective districts. He said that necessary steps should be taken to check hoarding and profiteering of essential commodities and stringent actions must be taken against the defaulters.

He directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure adequate social distancing between person to person during the relaxation of curfew period. He also asked them to involve functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions as they were the grass root functionaries in the villages as well as urban local bodies in maintaining social distancing. He said that shopkeepers must provide sanitizers to the consumers visiting their shops during the hours of relaxation.

He also asked them to give preference to senior citizens in providing goods during the relaxation period.

Thakur directed the police and other law and order enforcement agencies to ensure social distancing while relaxation in curfew for purchasing the daily needs items like milk, bread and vegetables etc. He said that administration of bordering districts of the state should also ensure that borders were completely sealed and outsiders were not allowed to enter their territories.

The Chief Minister directed the Chief Medical Officers to ensure availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including N-95 masks in all the health institutions of their districts. He said that the government had already decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity, water etc. without any extra charges. He also felt the need for proper coordination between various government departments as well as NGOs for effective implementation of curfew.

He said the state government had already closed temples in the state but several in rural areas were open. He directed the district administration to curb any social gathering in the rural areas during curfew relaxation hours.

He also asked the district administration to make adequate arrangements to ensure availability of spray, fertilizers and insecticides etc. to the farmers. He said shops selling such items must also be brought under the ambit of essential commodities.

Shimla District Magistrate Amit Kashyap on Wednesday ordered a relaxation of the curfew from 8 am to 11 am on Thursday for buying essential commodities like milk, bread, medicines, and groceries.

The order issued by the District Magistrate stated that nobody would be allowed to roam around on the roads and public places.

The government order will be enforced and the entire state will be on lockdown.

This would ensure complete self-isolation and social distancing for 24 hours to check the spread of the virus in the entire district.

Throwing curfew directions to the winds, people were seen moving out of their houses even without any objective of buying essential items.

Even bike riders were seen moving about with ease as were the car riders in violation of the directions, where only essential items could be purchased from 8 am to 12 am and movement of vehicles were banned.

People assembled on the roads to gossip as if there were no curfews.

Little done by the police to enforce directions in various parts of Solan district.

Source : The Tribune

Curfew was imposed in Kangra and Una sdistrict of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday afternoon.

First, it was imposed in Covid-hit Kangra; later, Una was also added to the list to stem the  spread of the virus.

Earlier, Kangra district was under lockdown since two persons had tested positive for coronavirus on March 21.

On Monday, a 69-year-old Tibetan who had returned from the US and tested positive for coronavirus died at Tanda medical college. After that the administration sealed McLeodganj and nobody was allowed in and out of the hill station.

On Tuesday afternoon curfew was imposed in the entire district. Now nobody would be allowed to move out of homes.

The shops for essential commodities would open only for limited notified time and people would be allowed to buy provisions in notified timing only.  Kangra is the only district of Himachal where three people have tested positive for coronavirus.

It also recorded the first death due to coronavirus.

The  DC said curfew was being imposed as people were not adhering to the lockdown. Now any vehicle or person roaming around without any reason would be booked and arrested. With PTI

Even as uncertainty prevails over curtailment of the Budget session which will resume on March 23, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today sought cooperation for the success of Janata curfew, to be observed today.

While presiding over an all-party meeting held here today, the Chief Minister urged leaders of all political parties of the state to give their wholehearted support to the state government to check the spread of the Covid. In fact, he is learnt to have called up many Opposition legislators to ensure the success of the curfew.

Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, state BJP president Rajeev Bindal, state Congress president Kuldeep Rathore, CPM MLA Rakesh Singha, BSP leader Suresh Saini and CPI leader Roshan Lal Dogra attended the meet. Education, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj were also present. All the leaders pledged their support to the government for checking the spread of the virus.

Thakur said the state government would take strict action against persons who refrained from quarantine. He said the state government had asked five firms for bulk manufacturing of sanitisers.

Source : The Tribune

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) has postponed all examinations for Classes 10 to 12 that were scheduled for on March 23, Monday.

The board, in its order issued on Saturday, said the examinations had been postponed till further orders due to coronavirus outbreak.

All practical examinations have also been postponed.

Meanwhile, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati said Section 144 of the CrPC would be invoked strictly in the district from Saturday.

All government offices would deal only with emergency cases.

There was panic in Kangra district after two patients tested positive at Tanda medical college.

The district administration of Kangra has issued directions to quarantine all foreign tourists who are presently travelling in the district. The hotel owners where the foreign tourists are staying have been asked to ensure that they do not go out and mix with local population.

Sources here said that 14 tourists from France who were staying in Nobulingka monastery in Dharamsala had planned a local tour in the area. When the administration got information regarding it, directions were issued that the foreign tourists should remain indoors in the monastery.

Deputy Commissioner Kangra, Rakesh Prajapati, when contacted, admitted that directions were issued to hoteliers to quarantine all foreign tourists presently staying in Dharamsala.

Shimla : Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, during an interaction with the media, said eight suspected cases of coronavirus had been reported in the state and their test reports were negative. The state government was taking effective steps to check the spread of the virus in the state.

He said nodal officers had been appointed at state and district levels to monitor the situation. Helpline 104 had also been activated. He said that to deal with the situation, quick reaction teams had been posted at the state and district levels.

The Chief Minister said that isolation wards had been set up at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda.

Separate wards had been identified in district hospitals. Besides, a quarantine facility had been created in Shimla, Mandi and Dharamsala.

Thakur said that personal preventive instruments and N-95 masks had been made available in all district hospitals and medical colleges. He said various steps had been taken to spread awareness among people regarding coronavirus.

He said that buses were being sanitised in the state and passengers being educated about the virus. He said that those coming from foreign countries were being quarantined and the Health Department was taking regular update of their health condition.

Thakur said that as a precautionary measure schools, colleges and universities of the state had been closed till March 31. A ban had been imposed on organising fairs, festivals and sports tournaments across the state.

Source : The Tribune

All temples in Kangra and Una districts are being closed down from Tuesday afternoon due to coronavirus, by the respective district administrations.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati said the Shiva temple in Baijnath was closed on Monday. The Brajeshwari Devi temple in Kangra, the Jawalamukhi temple, the Chamunda temple and the Baglamukhi temples are being closed down on Tuesday, he said.

The temples were expected to receive a large number of devotees due to Navratri beginning March 25.

The Deputy Commissioner said web and YouTube channels would be used to provide ‘darshan; to devotees.

Only the staff would be allowed into temples from Tuesday afternoon.

The Dalai Lama temple at McLeodganj would also be closed from Wednesday.

Una Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said the devotees coming for the Chintpurni temple are being stopped at the state border and sent back after counselling on coronavirus.

Tourism industry of Kullu-Manali is on the edge in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak in India. The hotel industry of Kullu-Manali is feeling the pinch for the last one week as there has been no advance booking for stay in Manali.

Foreign tourists form the backbone of the hotel industry in Kullu-Manali as lakhs of people from different countries visit these hill stations every year. In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Union Government has restricted the movement of foreign visitors and decided to cancel visas that had been granted to nationals from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan on or before March 3.

The hoteliers of Kullu-Manali are worried about the upcoming tourist season because the impact of Covid-19 on tourism industry is clearly visible now. If the situation remains the same, it would have a drastic impact on the industry here.

Hoteliers of Kullu-Manali say there has been a sharp decline in new bookings. They say every year beginning mid-March, their business begins to increase and by April, the tourist season is on full swing. Domestic and foreign tourists start booking in advance for their stay in April or May but this time, there are no such queries.

The hoteliers of Kullu-Manali are demanding a “tax holiday” and monetary compensation from state and Union Government to sustain themselves. After horticulture and agriculture sectors, tourism is the biggest sector, which provides employment to people. In Kullu district, the livelihood of hundreds of families is dependent on the tourism industry.

Talking to The Tribune, Anup Thakur, president of hoteliers association of Kullu-Manali, said the Covid-19 outbreak would have a drastic impact on the tourism industry in the coming days.

Intense cold wave conditions continued in Himachal as higher reaches and tribal areas received fresh snowfall and widespread rain lashed middle and lower hills. Thunderstorm accompanied by sleet and sharp showers hit the region.

Gondla received 45 cm of fresh snow while Kalpa recorded 20 cm of snow, followed by Kothi, Keylong and Khadrala with 15 cm, Udaipur with 12 cm, Kufri 10 cm and Pooh and Bharmaur with 5 cm of snow.

A severe thunderstorm accompanied by sleet and showers lashed Shimla and surrounding areas and dark clouds overcast the sky, reducing visibility to just a few metres, disrupting vehicular traffic. A large number of tourists thronged Shimla and adjoining areas and made a beeline to Kufri to enjoy the snow.

The local MeT office had issued an orange warning of heavy rain accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph in lower hills and heavy rain/snow and thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph in mid hills for Thursday. The region witnessed intermittent rains and storm, forcing people to stay indoors. The MeT office predicted rain at most places in middle and higher hills from March 13 to March 18, except on March 16.

Widespread rains occurred in the state and Dalhousie and Kothi received 68 mm and 60 mm rains, followed by Dharamshala with 49 mm, Sangrah 47 mm, Ghumarwin 46 mm, Kheri 45 mm, Chamba 43 mm, Kandaghat and Renuka 40 mm, Paonta Sahib, Gaggal, Bilaspur and Naina Devi 34 mm, Manali, Tissa Sujanpur Tira 33 mm, Pachhad, Mehre and Palampur 32 mm, Guler and Nadaun 31 mm, Nurpur and Banjar 29 mm, Hamirpur 28 mm, Kasauli, Baijnath and Una 25 mm, Sangla 24 mm, Shimla and Nahan with 18 mm of rain.

The minimum temperatures remained below normal and Keylong was the coldest with a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, followed by Kalpa with minus 0.9, Manali minus 0.8, Kufri minus 0.7, Dalhousie 0.8, Shimla 2.5, Palampur 7, Bhuntar 7.3, Solan 7.5, Dharamsala 7.6, Sundernagar 8.7, Una 11.2 and Nahan 13.3 degrees Celsius.

The maximum day temperatures fluctuated marginally and Nahan was the hottest during the day with a high of 21.7 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar with 21.6, Bhuntar 21.3, Una 20.7, Solan 19, Shimla 15, Dharamsala 12.8, Manali 11.4, Kalpa 8.4, Kufri 4.9 and Keylong 0.5 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall Recorded\
Dalhousie 68 mm
Kothi 60 mm
Dharamsala 49 mm

Rs 1,919 crores is stuck in 32,000 accounts in various Yes Bank branches in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur announced on Thursday.

Speaking in the Vidhan Sabha, Thakur castigated the opposition Congress for creating an atmosphere of “fear and panic” among the people.

“Please do not play politics on sensitive issues like coronavirus or the Yes Bank crisis,” he said.

Thakur stated the total amount of deposits of the Himachal Government as well as private depositors in the crisis-hit bank in the assembly.

On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri had said that a large sum of money of the Himachal government was stuck in Yes Bank deposits. He had sought a clarification from the government on why the money was deposited in Yes Bank when there were several nationalised banks.

Thakur said that a sum of Rs 1,349 crore was deposited in Yes Bank during the Congress regime before December 31, 2017, and Rs 1,244 crore was deposited by the BJP government.

“I urge people not to panic or create fear as the Government of India has assured that the depositor’s money is safe and an administrator has been appointed to resolve the matter,” he added.

Thakur said Rs 1,375 crore of the Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Bank, Rs 499 crore of the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB), Rs 304 crore of the HP Infrastructure Development Board, Rs 36.80 crore of the HP Power Corporation Ltd and Rs 379 of Smart City Dharamshala had been deposited in Yes Bank.

The chief minister also hit back at Agnihotri by stating that it was wrong on his part to allege that Yes bank was “promoted” by the government.

“The only reason why the previous Congress regime and then our BJP government made deposits in Yes Bank was probably due to the higher rate of interest,” he said.

The issue led to a lot uproar when the CM said the owner and founder of Yes bank, Rana Kapoor, had paid Rs two crore to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a painting.

“Do I need to say more as to who promoted Yes Bank,” said Thakur.

Agnihotri shot back by stating that the BJP should reveal as to who paid Rs 10 crore for PM Modi’s suit and why Nirav Modi was allowed to flee the country.

The cold spell was slated to extend for a couple of days more in Himachal as many places in the hill state were likely to witness rain and moderate snow, weather officials said on Wednesday.

Most prominent tourist places like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Manali, and Dalhousie, located in the mid-hills, may witness moderate snowfall between March 12 and 13, the weatherman said.

Most parts of Himachal continued to shiver, with Manali and state capital Shimla recording 4.8 degrees Celsius. Shimla had received snow on March 7, apart from Kufri, Mashobra and Narkanda.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state at minus 4 degrees.

The minimum temperature was zero degree in Kalpa, 2.8 degrees in Dalhousie, 1.3 degrees in Kufri, and 8.8 degrees in Dharamsala town, the venue of the ODI between India and South Africa on March 12.

Solan : The police have arrested Munish Goyal, assistant registrar, working with Manav Bharti University, in the fake degree scam where thousands of degrees of various professional courses had been sold off in the last several years.

Inspector-General (south) Asif Jalal said Goyal was arrested last night from Mohali. Efforts were afoot to arrest the other culprits, including Vice-Chancellor Rajkumar Rana.

The Inspector-General said massive documentary evidence in the form of diaries containing details of money amounting to crores received from candidates in lieu of fake degrees has been found on the university premises and investigations were still continuing.

Investigations also revealed how the staff were acting as agents to look for candidates who wanted to buy fake degrees in various professional course like B Pharmacy, LLB, MBA, etc. The manner in which heaps of unchecked answer sheets, unauthorised degrees and other such documents have been found by the police points towards the large-scale nefarious fake degree operations.

Amid registration of a case of cheating and forgery having been against the management of Manav Bharti University, the students who were studying there today requested the state government to migrate them to a government university in respective courses.

Students said the degree obtained from the university has become questionable as no company will provide them placements after completion of their course.

They demanded that the state government should think about their future so that they can be accommodated in government institutes well in time so that their future is secure.

Source : The Tribune

Shimla : Tourist resorts of Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie received fresh snow on Saturday, while the lower hills across Himachal Pradesh experienced rain, pushing down the mercury by several notches.

Hoteliers, however, cheered up in the hope that tourists will converge in large numbers till Holi that falls on March 10.

Tourist spots near Shimla such as Kufri, Fagu, Narkanda and Chail also experienced snow, turning the hill stations even more picturesque.

The Solang ski slopes, 13 km uphill from Manali, and Kalpa, 250 km from the state capital, also saw snow, the weather office here said.

While the state capital saw 5 cm snow, it was 10 cm in Dalhousie and 13 cm in Kufri.

The minimum temperature in Manali was 0.6 degrees Celsius below freezing point.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district was the coldest place in the state at minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.

It was 6.8 degrees Celsius in Dharamsala, minus 0.1 degree in Kalpa and 0.6 degree in Shimla.

“High altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Mandi, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snow for the past two days,” a Met official said.

Other parts of Shimla district, especially the upper reaches, experienced moderate snow. These included apple-growing areas of Jubbal, Kotkhai and Kharapathar.

Shimla : Three suspected patients – a 32-year-old man from Bilaspur under treatment at IGMC-Shimla, and mother-daughter duo from Sulah admitted to government medical college, Tanda — tested negative for coronavirus, revealed a test report received here yesterday from AIIMS, New Delhi.

The negative reports of their blood samples have come as a major relief for the state health authorities. The patient from Bilaspur had travel history from South Korea, while the mother-daughter duo had returned from Italy. They have been under surveillance for the last three days.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health, RD Dhiman, who also had video-conference with the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, briefed him about Himachal’s preparedness on meeting the Covid-19 threat. He said all three suspected patients have tested negative for the Covid.

Dhiman said the people should take precaution by not assembling in crowded places and avoid contact with the persons with travel history from China for 28 days.

Shimla :Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presented the state’s budget for the year 2021-21 in the Vidhan Sabha in Shimla on Friday.

This is the third budget being presented by Thakur. For the first time, a paperless budget was presented as Thakur read from a laptop.

Thakur’s wife Dr Sadhna Thakur, former Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir and former MLA’s were seated in the VIP gallery for the budget presentation.

• H.P. has been ranked at the top in many sectors at the national level, says Thakur
• 2020-21 to be celebrated as golden jubilee year of statehood as Himachal attained statehood in 1971.
• Thakur says mammoth support given by people to BJP in HP with the highest vote share of 69 per cent in the country and victory in two assembly by-polls is a vindication of his government’s pro-people policies.
• Global Investors Meet at Dharamshala proved to be a major milestone in HP’s development. MOU’s worth Rs 96,000 crores signed and groundbreaking projects worth Rs 13,656 crores envisioned: Thakur
• Vision document has been adopted as a policy document with many schemes like Himcare, LPG connection to every household, enhancement of social security pensions, CM helpline, Jan Manch, housing and irrigation schemes being implemented.
• Liberal funding under various centrally funded schemes has helped farmers, BPL, women, farmers and all weaker sections of society.
• Thakur expressed gratitude to the Centre for granting HP special category state, thereby assuring liberal funding.
• CM says the annual plan size for 2020-21 will be Rs 7,900 crores out of which Rs 711 crore will be under tribal sub-plan. He thanked the 15th Finance Commission for recommending Rs 19,309 crore annual grant.
• CM announces Good Governance Project for districts with the top three performing to be rewarded Rs 50 lakh, Rs 35 lakh and Rs 25 lakh.
• Enhancement of MLA Area Development Fund from Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 1.75 crore and a discretionary fund of MLA’s from Rs 8 to 10 lakh.
• Emphasising the thrust on e-governance, CM says cabinet meetings will be paperless.
• Scheme to enhance the income of farmers through the cultivation of saffron and Heeng in suitable areas and identification of cultivable land lying idle by a committee so that it can be given to Himachal residents to enhance the area under cultivation.
• CM announces 50 per cent subsidy for raising steel and bamboo structures for anti-hail nets and makes Rs 50 crore budgetary outlay for it.
• Rs 536 crore for the Horticulture sector.
• Gau Sadans will be set up in all districts and thrust on poultry farming and animal husbandry.
• Mobile Veterinary Services to be introduced on a pilot basis.
• Increase of Rs 2 per litre in prices of milk and setting up of 100 trout farms and thrust on carp fish production.
• Rs 20 crore in the budget for the creation of water reservoirs to meet irrigation needs under Parvat Dhara.
• CM announces a grant of Rs five lakh for Tobacco-free panchayats.
• Rs 15 crore allotted for plantation of one crore saplings and distribution of 50,000 sandalwood plants to farmers for commercial cultivation.
• Vidyalaya Van Yojana announced where 100 schools will undertake plantation to enhance forest cover.
• CM announces Rs 15 crore for setting up 100 Cluster schools and Rs 30 crore for 68 schools which will be modernised with smart classrooms to bring about qualitative improvement in education.
• Rs 9 crore assigned for modernising nine colleges and setting up of 196 virtual classrooms.
• Super 100 scheme to help 100 meritorious students in class 10 prepare for competitive exams by giving them Rs one lakh.
• An increase of Rs 300 per month in allowance of water carriers and mid-day meal workers.
• CM makes Rs 8016 crore budgetary provision for the Education department.
• CM announces Rs 1,500 monthly grant to tuberculosis patients
• Mammography facility in all districts to ensure early detection of breast cancer.
• Three anti retro viral centres for HIV patients at Nahan, Chamba and Ner Chowk medical colleges and 10 mobile health ambulances for tribal and difficult areas
• Samman scheme to help treatment and care of abandoned persons.
• Free medicines for persons above the age of 60 years in all Ayurvedic hospitals.
• Budgetary provision of Rs 2,702 crores and Rs 307 crore for Health and Ayurveda departments.
• CM announces shifting of grain and wood market from the main town in Shimla to decongest the state capital.

• CM announces Rs 454 crore for State Disaster Risk Reduction Fund and Rs 50 crore for Risk Mitigation.
• Rs 2,011 crore for 209 drinking water schemes and grant of one lakh domestic connections.
• A budgetary allocation of Rs 2,313 crore for the Irrigation and Public Health department.
• To ensure there is no vacancy in schools, government to recruit teachers and ensure rationalisation of teachers in schools for optimum utilisation.
• CM announces Rs 58 crore Parampara scheme to promote artisans making handicrafts and traditional items.
• Widows up to the age of 45 years would be provided a subsidy for setting up self-employment units.
• CM says work on Rs 6,947 crore 40 MW Renuka project likely to start this year. Announces one-time policy for expediting the delayed hydro-power projects.
• Announces Rs 158 crore for tackling low voltage problem and Rs 350 crore for expansion of transmission network.
• Announces Rs 480 crore as subsidy for domestic power consumers.
• Announces Rs 50 crore for identifying new tourist destinations under Naye Rahen Naye Manzile scheme.
• In the transport sector, CM announces setting up of a modern Transport Nagar in Hamirpur, Rs 35 crore for national highway safety scheme and Rs 55 crore for providing road connectivity to left out villages.
• Announces a sum of Rs 306 crores for resurfacing of roads and Rs 44 crore for setting up of crash barriers and road widening.
• Allocation of Rs 3,986 crore for the Public Works department.
• Rs 155 crore assigned for setting up of a Centre of Excellence for IT at Waknaghat.
• Rs 100 crore for giving Skill Development Allowance to jobless youth.

Two isolation wards have been set up, one each in the IGMC and DDU Hospital, for patients with symptoms of coronavirus.

Shimla DC Amit Kashyap, reviewing the situation, here today said three suspected cases had been reported in the state. Although their blood samples had been sent for testing, till now no positive case had been reported. The DC urged the masses not to panic.

He said 10,000 pamphlets highlighting the symptoms of Covid-19 and precautionary measures to be taken to prevent the spread would be distributed in schools and anganwaris.

He said it would be ensured that there was no shortage of masks.

Panchayat pradhans have been told to ensure that migrant labourers coming from other areas were screened for the virus. Screening machines had been installed at airports, railway stations and bus stops, he added.

The DC appealed to the public to visit the nearby hospital immediately in case they are suffering from cold, cough and viral. — TNS

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said health services during the Congress regime were in a shambles as institutions were opened on political considerations without creating posts and now efforts are on to fill the vacancies.

This was stated by Thakur while replying to a query on shortage of doctors raised by Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Reena Kashyap in the Vidhan Sabha today. “The Congress created a mess by opening health institutions on political considerations without creating posts.

The institutions existed on paper only with no staff or facilities resulting in the health services being provided to people suffering,” he remarked.

He said there are a total of 345 posts of dental doctors in the state out of which 332 are filled. “A total of 355 dental doctors pass out from various dental colleges in the state every year and 2,819 doctors are registered with the HP Dental Council,” he stated. He added that there is no proposal to lower the retirement age of doctors.

The Chief Minister assured the house that within the next one-and-a-half years, all vacancies will be filled and thrust will be on qualitative strengthening of institutions. He added that walk-in interviews for doctors were being held every week so that no health institution is without a doctor.

Finally, decks have cleared for International Paragliding World Cup Championship to be held at Bir Billing from March 31 to April 5.

Official sources told The Tribune here today that this decision was taken at a meeting held at Shimla yesterday. The meeting was presided over by R D Dhiman Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism). Officials of the state tourism department and Atal Behari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute participated in the meeting. It was decided that Atal Behari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute will conduct the championship and state tourism department will be the host.

Official sources also disclosed that Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA) with its head office in Paris, an international agency which organized such global adventurous events and made selection of best pilots, had also notified the dates of World Cup Championships in its calendar. Besides, the state government had also received various clearances from different agencies within the state and outside for holding the event.

This year the state government has made a major change keeping Special Area Development Agency (SADA) Bir Billing and Billing Paragliding Association (BPA) out of the event. In past SADA and a private body BPA had organised all events.