An amendment Bill to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls in Himachal Pradesh by three years to 21 was passed unanimously without discussion in the assembly on Tuesday, the first day of the monsoon session, bringing it at par with that of men.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil presented the Himachal Pradesh Child Marriage Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the House.

Now, the Bill will be sent to the Governor for approval.

The minimum age of marriage for girls in the state is 18 years. The state government is increasing it by three years. Its draft was approved by the Cabinet seven months ago.

Shandil informed the House that the girls would now get opportunities to progress. “Even today some people marry at a young age. Owing to this, the children cannot study and cannot progress in life.”

Shandil emphasised the government’s dedication to provide the girls with better opportunities for education and career growth.

“Raising the marriage age (from 18 to 21) will ensure that girls are given the chance to fully develop and achieve their potential before entering into marriage,” he said.

He pointed out that early marriages often result in negative health outcomes for young mothers and restrict their personal and professional development.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu had directed that a committee be formed to look into the issue of increasing the marriage age.

On December 8, 2023, an official statement said as per the direction of the CM, a committee to examine an increase in the marriage age of girls in Himachal Pradesh has been formed.

The committee comprised Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary M Sudha Devi, who chaired the panel, with Rural Development Secretary Priyatu Mandal, Law Secretary Sharad K Lagwal and Director of Labour and Employment Manasi Thakur as members. Priyanka Verma, managing director of the National Health Mission, was the member secretary of the committee.

The village of Bharli in Shiva Panchayat in the Trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district, is mourning the loss of its 25-year-old son, Ashish Kumar, who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the nation during ‘Operation Alert’ in Arunachal Pradesh.

Ashish’s mother, Santaro Devi, had dreamed of seeing her son married, but those dreams were shattered when she learned of his martyrdom. His twin brother, Rohit, is devastated by the loss.

Grenadier Ashish Kumar, born on March 14, 1999, was serving in the 19 Grenadiers Unit of the Indian Army. He joined the Army six years ago, following in the footsteps of many brave soldiers from his region. His father, Shyam Singh, had passed away, leaving behind Ashish’s mother, elder brother Rahul, twin brother Rohit, and sister Pooja, a forest guard.

Ashish’s mortal remains are expected to reach his native village by Thursday evening, with full military honours. Major Deepak Dhawan, Deputy Director of Soldiers’ Welfare Board, confirmed the incident and is working to ensure the swift return of the martyr’s body.

This is the second loss for the region this month, following the martyrdom of Praveen Sharma on August 10. The sacrifices of these two brave soldiers will be remembered for generations to come.

The chief secretaries and finance secretaries of 17 states and union territories, including those of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, will appear in person on Tuesday before the Supreme Court for failing to clear the arrears of revised salary and pension of judicial officers in terms of the Second National Judicial Pay Commission’s recommendations.

A three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud on August 22 ordered them to personally appear before it to explain the non-implementation of SNJPC’s recommendations after amicus curiae K Paramesha submitted that as per the responses received from the States/UTs, 17 states/UTs have still not complied with its various orders, including those passed last month.

Besides Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the states and UTs whose chief secretaries and finance secretaries will appear before the court are: Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Bihar and Odisha.

“We direct that, in terms of the previous directions, the Chief Secretaries and the Finance Secretaries of the aforesaid states shall remain personally present in court on 27 August 2024 at 10.30 am,” ordered the Bench which also included Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
“We know how to extract compliance now. If we just say that the chief secretary will be present if the affidavit is not filed then it will not be filed. We are not sending them to jail but let them be here and then an affidavit will be submitted. Let them be personally present now…The chief secretaries and finance secretaries have to be personally present. Failing compliance, the court will be constrained to initiate contempt,” it had warned on July 11.

“Though seven opportunities have been granted to the states, it appears full compliance has not been effected,” the Bench had noted.

On July 21, there were 21 defaulting states/UTs, including Punjab, which were to file compliance reports by August 20, failing which their chief secretaries and finance secretaries were to appear personally before the top court.

However, on August 22, the amicus curiae informed the Bench that four of them have filed compliance reports and only 17 states/UTs remained.

Expressing strong displeasure over the failure of states to implement the recommendations of the Second National Judicial Pay Commission, the Bench had on July 11 made clear that it will not grant any further extensions.

The SNJPC’s recommendations covered pay structure, pension and family pension and allowances, besides dealing with the issue of establishing a permanent mechanism to determine subjects of service conditions of the district judiciary.

The Supreme Court had on January 4 asked high courts to set up a two-judge committee each to oversee the implementation of its orders on pay, pension and other retirement benefits for judicial officers in terms of the Commission’s recommendations.

The disbursements on account of arrears of salary, pension and allowances due and payable to judicial officers, retired judicial officers and family pensioners shall be computed and paid on or before February 29, 2024, it had ordered.

Maintaining that there’s a need to maintain uniformity in service conditions of judicial officers across India, the top court had said judicial independence — necessary to preserve the faith and confidence of common citizens in the rule of law — can be ensured and enhanced only so long as judges are able to lead their life with a sense of financial dignity.

Regarding tax deduction at source (TDS) by states on allowances due to serving and retired judicial officers, the Bench had said, “Wherever exemptions are available under the Income Tax Act from deduction of TDS on allowances, the state governments shall ensure that no deductions are made. Wherever TDS are wrongly deducted, the amount shall be refunded to judicial officers.”

No previous state government has been able to deal with the contentious issue of the merger of loss-making public sector undertakings (PSUs).

It has been learnt that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was keen to take the call on this long-pending issue and merge some of the PSUs in the red but could not do so owing to resistance from employees.

The issue assumes significance in view of the poor fiscal health of the state. The debt burden has touched Rs 90,000 crore.

Despite the best efforts of successive state governments, 13 of the 23 boards and corporations continue to be in the red. These government institutions having about 30,000 employees have cumulative losses of Rs 5,134.46 crore till March 31, 2023.

The efforts to merge some of these sick units have not been successful primarily due to resistance from the employees though they will be absorbed in other PSUs or government departments.

The government had decided to merge Agro Industries Corporation with the HPMC but was yet to implement the decision.

These 23 PSUs had suffered Rs 254.36 crore total losses between March 2022 and March 23. The cumulative losses were Rs 534.03 crore in March 2022 and Rs 589.53 crore in March 2021.

A majority of these PSUs remain a major drain on the state exchequer mainly due to a huge contingent of 32,028 employees.

The financial health of most of these PSUs remains grim. The 23 PSUs have a total of 32,028 employees, with maximum 15,123 workers in HP State Electricity Board Ltd, followed by 11,085 in the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), 1,760 in the HP Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and 1,078 in the HP Forest Corporation.

The HRTC has suffered the highest losses of Rs 1,966.13 crore, followed by the HPSEB (Rs 1,823.97 crore), HP Power Corporation (Rs 689.23 crore), HP Transmission Corporation (Rs 372.59 crore), HP Financial Corporation (Rs 184.83 crore), HPTDC (Rs 126.62 crore) and the HP Forest Corporation (Rs 98.21 crore). It remains to be seen whether Sukhu will succeed in merging some of these loss-making PSUs in the interest of the state.

Medical services in Tanda medical college remained disrupted as the Residents Doctors Association (RDA) continued its strike today. Senior Residents, interns and resident doctors continued their strike and also held a dharna in the Tanda medical college complex.

After meeting CM Sukhvinder Sukhu yesterday, the Tanda Medical College Teachers Association had called off their strike. The teachers of Tanda medical college returned to their duties today but the RDA decided to continue their strike.

The members of RDA said that they were continuing their strike as per the directions of Federation of Resident Doctors Association, their national level body. “We had proceeded on strike as per the direction of Federation of Resident Doctors Association and the IMA. Both the bodies have not issued any direction regarding withdrawal of the strike. We will continue our strike till national level bodies give any direction,” the striking RDA members at Tanda said.

The RDA members said that their main demand for protection to doctors on duty in government hospitals has not been met. “We had also demanded from the state government that the under the 2007 Act, assault on doctors on duty should be made a non-bailable offence.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu felicitated meritorious students of Government Senior Secondary School, Kothi Deora Ghatti in Solan, today. He said that the government was taking concrete steps to address the declining enrolment in government schools.

Sukhu, while addressing the gathering, made several announcements for the improvement of educational facilities in the region. He said that commerce classes would be started in Government Senior Secondary School, Kothi Deora Ghatti, and kabaddi players of the school would be provided sports kits.

He added that the state government would allocate funds for the under-construction educational institutions where 60 per cent building work had been completed with a target to finish these projects within two years.

Sukhu emphasised the importance of quality education and the health of children. “In one-of-a-kind initiative, the government has sent 200 teachers to Singapore on an exposure tour. The government has plans to extend this programme to include students next year,” he said.

He also highlighted the government’s efforts to promote sports activities by increasing the diet money of sports persons. “The allowance has been raised from Rs 240 to Rs 400 for state-level competitions, Rs 300 for district-level and Rs 240 for block-level events. For athletes competing outside the state, the diet money has been increased to Rs 500,” he added.

Sukhu said that the state government had also enhanced travel facilities for players attending sports events in other states. He announced that tournaments for the under-14 age group would now be organised at both district and state levels.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh had slipped to the 18th position in the national quality education ranking. “To address the issue, the government has been working tirelessly over the past 20 months to implement extensive reforms in the education system. One of the key initiatives is the phased introduction of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools equipped with smart classrooms, audio-visual teaching aids and sports facilities in rural areas of all Assembly constituencies. Schools have also been given freedom to select smart uniforms, as per their preferences,” he added.

Sukhu said that 99 primary schools with zero student enrolment had been closed, while those with less than five students were being merged. Furthermore, the government was introducing futuristic courses in educational institutions to ensure students receive quality education, he Added. He expressed confidence that these steps would yield positive results in the long run. Earlier, Chairman of Jogindra Cooperative Bank, Mukesh Sharma, welcomed the Chief Minister upon his arrival in Solan.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that Himachal would set up a dedicated ‘Environmental Cell’ within the Urban Development Department for effective urban waste management in urban areas.

Sukhu said the dedicated cell was being set up to ensure cleaner and sustainable urban environment. “This initiative aims to address the growing challenges of solid and liquid waste management in urban centres,” he added.

He said that the state’s 60 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which include five Municipal Corporations, 29 Municipal Councils and 26 Nagar Panchayats, were struggling to cope up with the increasing demand for municipal services.

“Solid and Liquid Waste Management is the biggest challenge being faced by the urban local bodies today. Therefore, there will be a dedicated cell to meet these challenges, ensuring cleaner and sustainable urban environments across Himachal,” the Chief Minister stated.

Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) has decided to boycott OPD services and elective surgeries indefinitely from tomorrow onwards.

“We have decided to boycott OPD services and elective OTs from tomorrow onwards. Our protest will continue till the time our central bodies ask us to discontinue our protest,” said Dr Vikas Thakur, secretary, HMOA. The doctors are protesting the brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor at a medical college in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the faculty of the IGMC, Shimla, and Tanda Medical College has also announced that OPDs and elective OTs would remain suspended on Monday. The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of IGMC, Shimla, and other medical colleges, who are spearheading the protest, are also skipping the routine services. It’s yet not known whether the medical colleges will start offering OPD services from Tuesday onwards.

With doctors skipping routine services from primary health centres to medical colleges, patients are going to face a lot of inconvenience. Even though emergency services will continue as usual in all health facilities, the patients are bound to face a lot of problem, especially in IGMC where patients come for treatment from across the state.

Apart from justice for the victim, the doctors here are demanding immediate implementation of Himachal Pradesh Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions Amendment Act, 2017, to safeguard the rights of health workers. Besides, the resident doctors, especially the women doctors, have been demanding more CCTV cameras at sensitive points, more security personnel and separate duty rooms for women staff.

The hospital administration, along with RDA representatives, has taken stock of the facilities at the hospital. “We have looked into their concerns and will plug whatever loopholes we have come across,” said Dr. Sita Thakur, IGMC principal.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of development projects worth Rs 184 crore at various places in the district.

These included a multipurpose sports complex with an eight-lane swimming pool and a shooting range at Nadaun to be constructed at an outlay of Rs 65 crore. The sports complex would also have wrestling, boxing, kabaddi, yoga, table tennis and badminton courts.

The Chief Minister emphasised on the importance of sports for encouraging the youth to refrain them from drugs. “The sports complex will be an example of our commitment to nurture talent and ensuring the physical and mental well-being of our youth,” he added.

The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of two farmer training centres at Dhanpur (Bara) and at the Agriculture Complex in the town to be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore.

He said that these centres would empower farmers through knowledge dissemination, skill development and the adoption of modern agricultural practices.

He said that the farmers would be trained in irrigation techniques, crop diversification and advanced vegetable production methods. Sukhu also laid the foundation stone of the projects of widening and strengthening of five roads — Bhattha-Salauni-Deothsidh (Rs 35 crore), Rangas-Kangu-Dhaneta (Rs 49 crore), Ganliyan-Badaitar (Rs 5.67 crore) and Paniyala-Kashmir and Dhaneta-Barsar roads (Rs 16 crore).

Sukhu inaugurated a Centre of Excellence at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Bara, established at a cost of Rs 1.31 crore.

He said that the state government was committed to strengthening the rural economy and had decided to purchase naturally-grown wheat at the rate of Rs 40 per kg and maize at Rs 30 per kg. He added that the minimum support price (MSP) of cow milk had been raised from Rs 32 per litre to Rs 45 per litre and of buffalo milk from Rs 47 per litre to Rs 55 per litre.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated a PG block at the College of Horticulture and Forestry at Neri constructed at a cost of Rs 3.46 crore and laid the foundation stone of a girls hostel. Ayush and Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma, MLAs Suresh Kumar and Ranjeet Rana (Sujanpur), Chairman of Kangra Cooperative Bank Kuldeep Pathania and the Chairman of Kangra Cooperative Primary Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Ram Chander Pathania were present on the occasion.

Sports complex to come up at Nadaun

A multipurpose sports complex with an eight-lane swimming pool and a shooting range will be constructed at Nadaun at a cost of ~65 crore.
This sports complex will also have wrestling, boxing, kabaddi, yoga, table tennis and badminton courts.
The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of two farmer training centres at Dhanpur (Bara) and at the Agriculture Complex in Hamirpur to be constructed at a cost of ~4.50 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the charge of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department, today inspected the damaged portion of the Shah irrigation canal project in the Fatehpur Assembly segment of Kangra.

It is the lone canal irrigation project in the state and was damaged due to flashfloods in the Beas during the monsoon last year. The portion of the Shah canal from where water is picked up from the Beas was damaged in flashfloods and as a result, 30 villages in Fatehpur and Nurpur areas of Kangra district had not been getting irrigation water since last year.

Sources said that about 10,000 farmers were not getting water to irrigate their fields. The problems of the farmers of the region multiplied this summer due to extreme heat and drought-like conditions in June and July. Agnihotri directed officials of the Jal Shakti Department to immediately start the repair work on the damaged portion of the Shah canal.

He said that the irrigation and drinking water projects in Kangra district had suffered extensive damage estimated at Rs 300 crore during the monsoon last year. While most of the drinking water schemes had been made functional, the work on the damaged portion of the Shah canal had been delayed due to a paucity of funds. The officials concerned had been directed to make a fresh estimate for the repair work on the canal and start it soon, he added.

Illegal mining

The Jal Shakti Department has estimated that about ~25 crore is required for the repair of the Shah canal
Farmers of the region blame illegal mining for the damage to the project

A 30-metre patch of a road has been damaged due to a cloudburst triggered by heavy rainfall that hit Damrali village in Taklech Panchayat in Rampur subdivision of Shimla.

However, no loss of life has been reported in the incident. This is the second cloudburst incident that has occurred in Rampur area during the ongoing monsoon season.

The incident happened on Friday night when Damrali and Taklech village received heavy rain, which escalated into a cloudburst in Damrali, rising the water levels of a nallah leading to a flood-like situation.

A team led by Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rampur Nishant Tomar left for the spot to assess the situation as soon as they received the information.

SDM said that the team could not reach the spot because the road had been broken at one point, however, the district administration contacted the local Panchayat Pradhan who confirmed that no loss of life and property has occured in the incident.

He said that the mobile tower located in Damrali has also been affected due to which, mobile signals in six panchayats have been affected.

In such a situation, we will go to the spot in the morning,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap and Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi reached Nogli during the night to take stock of the situation.

The local Met office on Friday issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rain in 10 of Himachal Pradesh’s 12 districts till August 20 even as showers in parts of the state led to the closure of 58 roads, including a national highway.

The wet spell in the state is likely to continue till August 22, the Met office here said.

It also warned of low-flash flood risk in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and Sirmaur districts till Saturday and cautioned of the possibility of damage to plantations, crops, vulnerable structures and kutcha houses.

The National Highway-707 between Hatkoti in Shimla district and Poanta Sahib in Sirmaur district was among the 58 roads closed due to rain on Friday, State Emergency Operation Centre said.

Nineteen roads are closed in Shimla, 14 in Mandi, 12 in Kangra, eight in Kullu, three in Kinnaur and one each in Sirmaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, it added.

The rainfall also disrupted 31 power and four water supply schemes.

Since Thursday evening, Dalhousie recorded the highest rainfall at 62 mm, followed by Palampur (56 mm), Kandaghat 936.6 mm), Ghamroor (35.6 mm), Nagrota Suriyan (32 mm), Kangra (28.2 mm), Guler (23.8 mm) and Dharamshala (17.8 mm).

Himachal Pradesh’s rainfall deficit this monsoon stood at 23 per cent till Friday with the state receiving 397.9 mm rain against an average of 513.5 mm.

Officials said 120 people were killed in rain-related incidents and the state suffered losses of about Rs 1,129 crore between June 27 and Friday.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in Himachal Pradesh with a night temperature of 10.7 degrees Celsius while Una was the hottest, recording a maximum temperature of 36.4 degrees.

Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh today visited the cloudburst-hit Rajban village in the Darang Assembly constituency of Mandi district and met with the affected villagers. He was accompanied by former minister Kaul Singh Thakur. On July 31, a cloudburst had caused falshfloods in Rajban village, claiming the lives of nine persons while one person went missing.

The minister said that the area had become unsafe for reconstruction due to the recent flashfloods. He added that he would consult Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu if the four affected families of Rajban village could be relocated to a safer place.

Vikramaditya expressed sympathy to the falshflood-hit families and assured them that the government would provide all possible assistance. The government had already announced Rs 4 lakh each for all families which had lost their members.

He announced a plan for infrastructure development in the region. He said that the Thaltukhod-Panjoud road would be upgraded at a cost of Rs 10 crore and its detailed project report (DPR) had already been submitted to NABARD for approval. He added that the construction of the strategically-important Bhubhu Jot tunnel would greatly benefit the area people.

Vikramaditya commended the district administration and various departments for their swift and effective relief efforts after the cloudburst. He praised the officials for their dedication and excellent relief work.

The minister also addressed issues raised by the residents of Thaltukhod. SDM, Padhar, Himani Sharma, Tehsildar Bhavna Verma, senior PWD and other administrative officers were present during the visit.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government had faced significant challenges on political, economic and disaster fronts in a short span of 20 months.

Many conspiracies were hatched to destabilise the democratically elected government through money power, he alleged.

Sukhu was addressing the gathering during a state-level Independence Day function at Shaheed Bhuvnesh Dogra Ground in Dehra, on Thursday.

The CM hoisted the national flag and took a salute from the march past. Paying tributes to the martyrs, he said Himachal Pradesh is home to the country’s first Param Vir Chakra recipient, Major Somnath Sharma, a pride for the state.

On the occasion, Sukhu made major announcements including disbursement of arrears to all pensioners and family pensioners above the age of 75 years.

The CM said while the arrears of employees above the age of 75 years would be given immediately, the arrears of other employees would be paid in a phased manner.

He also said that the claims of the Pong Dam Oustees would be settled under the Forest Rights Act.

Under the Chief Minister Sukh Shiksha Yojana, Sukhu announced a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 for children up to the age of 18 years who are from single-woman households, destitute women, widows and specially-abled parents.

The government will also bear the educational expenses of these children in IITs, IIMs, medical colleges, and for PhD programmes until they turn 27 years.

Terming that the state was grappling with serious economic challenges, Sukhu alleged it was due to certain decisions made by the previous BJP government, which added an additional burden of thousands of crores.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer in the state and urged farmers to adopt chemical-free farming practices. He reviewed various schemes of the Agriculture Department here.

Sukhu said that products grown using natural farming methods would be branded and marketed under a distinct trademark to ensure better prices to the farmers associated with the sector. He directed officials concerned to evolve a comprehensive system for the certification, packaging and marketing of natural farming produce.

He said that a special laboratory would be set up in the state for soil testing and to certify the produces.

He added that 70 per cent of the population was associated with the agriculture sector and therefore, the state government was laying special focus on enhancing the income of people living in rural areas. “The rural economy is the priority of the state government and special initiatives have been taken in the Budget 2024-25 to boost the economy,” he claimed.

The Chief Minister said that in future, the Agriculture and Jal Shakti departments, in collaboration with the JICA and SHIVA projects, would implement integrated irrigation schemes to maximise benefits for the farmers and make these schemes viable. He assured the farmers that the government would ensure adequate funds for the remodelling and repair of traditional ‘kuhals’. He directed the officials to set up cold stores according to the requirements and specific crop production needs of the districts.

Sukhu said that the state government was also making earnest efforts to enhance milk production and the procurement rates for buffalo and cow milk had been increased to Rs 55 and Rs 45 per litre, respectively. He added, “The government is contemplating to enhance financial assistance to farmers for purchasing indigenous cows and buffalos in natural farming clusters.” He stressed the need to integrate natural farming, animal rearing, fisheries and beekeeping.

Sukhu also reviewed the functioning of the JICA and Milkfed and asked the officials to digitise the working of these organisations. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and senior officers attended the meeting.

Distinct trademark for natural products

Products grown using natural farming methods will be branded and marketed under a distinct trademark to ensure better prices to the farmers associated with the sector, said Sukhu
Officials told to evolve a comprehensive system for the certification, packaging and marketing of natural farming produce

The government contemplating to enhance financial assistance to farmers for purchasing indigenous cows and buffalos in natural farming clusters

Need to integrate natural farming, animal rearing, fishery and beekeeping stressed
Officials given directions to digitise the functioning of the JICA and Milkfed

Rain-induced landslides and flash floods led to the closure of 213 roads in Himachal Pradesh, with the local Met office issuing a ‘yellow’ warning for more heavy rainfall in isolated parts of the state till August 19.

Since Monday evening, Naina Devi recorded the highest rainfall at 96.4 mm, followed by Dharamsala (25 mm), Kandaghat (10.4 mm) and Kahu (9.2 mm).

Kinnaur district remained cut off from Shimla following a landslide in Negulsari. Vehicular traffic on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway moved at a snail’s pace after fog in several areas reduced visibility.

The State Emergency Operation Centre said 89 roads were closed in Shimla, 42 in Sirmaur, 37 in Mandi, 26 in Kullu, six in Kangra, five in Chamba and four each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.

It added that 218 power and 131 water supply schemes were also affected.

Officials said 110 people were killed in rain-related incidents and the state suffered losses of about Rs 1,004 crore between June 27 and August 12.

Heavy rain wreaked havoc in the Chopal subdivision of Shimla district as around 1,300 apple and 70 pear trees in the Paudiya panchayat were swept away and a 100-metre stretch of a link road connecting the panchayat to Nerwa, Chopal and Shimla were damaged due to a massive landslide in the wee hours of today.

No loss of life was reported in the incident. As per the reports, the landslide that occurred around 4 am destroyed apple orchards belonging to 10 villagers. The orchards belonged to Amar Singh, Pratap Singh, Mohan Singh, Gyan Singh, Joginader Singh Torta, Balbir Singh Torta, Prakash, Shyam, Naresh Kumar, all residents of Tarapur village, and Sunder Singh, a resident of Sarahan village under the Paudiya panchayat. Besides, 300 apple boxes belonging to Chet Ram were washed away in the landslide. Officials of the Revenue and Public Works Departments reached the spot to assess the loss.

Tapinder Mohan, pradhan of Paudiya panchayat, said the orchardists were worst affected as the apple and pears trees had been washed away in the incident. He said these apple trees were planted around 10 years ago and the fruit was already harvested.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested two professors from Punjab who were on an inspection duty on behalf of Pharmacy Council of India to evaluate pharmacy colleges in Kangra district.

SP Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Balbir Thakur, stated that acting on a tip-off, the Vigilance Bureau team in Dharamsala intercepted a Punjab-registered Creta car in the Rakkad area on Sunday. Two individuals, Rakesh Chawla and Puneet Kumar, both professors at different universities in Punjab, were detained and found with Rs 3.5 lakh, which they couldn’t account for.

he duo had recently inspected University Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Palampur, assigned by Pharmacy Council of India. It is suspected that they received illegal benefits from the institution.

A case has been registered against them under Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018), at State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau police station in Dharamsala. They were arrested on Sunday evening, and further investigation is underway.

Lance Naik Praveen Sharma, a 26-year-old soldier from the Habban region in Rajgarh subdivision of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmour district, was martyred in a fierce encounter with terrorists in the dense forests of Kokernag, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.

The encounter, which began on Saturday afternoon, involved Praveen, a native of Palu village in Habban, who was part of Operation Rakshak—a mission aimed at neutralising terrorist elements in the region. Late in the evening, the Indian Army delivered the news of his martyrdom to his family.

Praveen served in the First Para Regiment, a unit known for its bravery and expertise in some of the most dangerous operations undertaken by the Indian Army. The operation in Kokernag, one of the many aimed at eliminating terrorist threats in Jammu and Kashmir, was marked by intense fighting. Despite the challenges and risks, Praveen displayed extraordinary valour and made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation.

The Sirmour district administration was informed of his martyrdom. They promptly reached out to his family. Efforts to retrieve his mortal remains from the operation area were initiated on Saturday afternoon. The army has communicated that Praveen’s body will be airlifted to Chandigarh, from where it will be transported to his ancestral village in Habban for the final rites. The station headquarters in Nahan has been tasked with making all necessary arrangements for the soldier’s last journey.

Praveen hailed from a distinguished lineage. He was the descendant of a freedom fighter who participated in the Pajhota Movement, a significant resistance against British colonial rule. Praveen was the only son of his parents, Rekha Sharma and Rajesh Sharma, who have now been left heartbroken by his loss. The family, who was preparing for his upcoming wedding just a few months away, is now faced with the unimaginable sorrow of his martyrdom.