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.

Nine members of a family from Himachal Pradesh travelling in an SUV to attend a wedding in Punjab’s Nawanshahr were swept away along with the vehicle in a sudden flood in a rivulet near Jejon town in Mahilpur block of Hoshiarpur district on Sunday.

Of the 11 people travelling in the SUV, 10, including the driver, drowned while one was rescued.

According to information, Deepak Bhatia, a resident of Dehra near Mehatpur in Una district of Himachal Pradesh, along with nine members of his family, had left for Nawanshahr to attend a wedding.

Those accompanying Deepak were his father Surjeet Bhatia, mother Paramjeet Kaur, uncle Sarup Chand, aunts Bindar and Shino, daughters Bhavna (18) and Anku (20), and son Harmeet (12) besides the SUV driver.

As the vehicle was passing through the Jejon rivulet after crossing the Himachal border, suddenly the flow of water in the rivulet increased and their vehicle got stuck in the mud and later started flowing with the strong current.

The Supreme Court has issued a contempt of court notice to a senior SBI official for failing to comply with its order to offer a One Time Settlement (OTS) to a Himachal Pradesh business firm operating from Chandigarh with regard to adjustment of subsidy amount towards repayment of interest and instalments of loan.

A Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath asked the of SBI Managing Director, Risk Compliance & Stressed Assets Resolution Group, Nariman Point, Mumbai and SBI Ludhiana Deputy General Manager Pradeep Pandhi to be present before it on August 20 for framing of charges against them for his failure to comply with its September 30, 2021 order.

Prima facie, we are satisfied that a case for contempt is made out. Issue notice to alleged contemnor/respondent No. 2, i.e. Mr. Swaminathan J, Managing Director, Risk Compliance & Stressed Assets Resolution Group, State Bank of India. List this case on 20.08.2024 for framing of charges,” the Bench – which also included Justice PB Varale – said in its August 6 order.

The Bench, however, clarified that “if the alleged contemnor(s)/ respondent(s), who are presently named in the contempt petition, are not holding the said post(s), in that case, the person(s) holding the said post(s) presently will remain present in the Court on 20.08.2024.”

Heavy rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh as 128 roads remained closed in the state due to landslides and flash floods.

The regional Met office has also issued an ‘orange’ warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning, at isolated places on Saturday and a ‘yellow’ warning for heavy rain till August 16.

Heavy rains lashed parts of the state with Nahan (Sirmaur) recording the highest rainfall of 168.3 mm since Friday evening, followed by 106.4 mm in Sandhole, 93.2 mm in Nagrota Suriyan, 67 mm in Dhaulakuan, 53.2 mm in Jubberhatti and 45.6 mm in Kandaghat.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 44 power and 67 water supply schemes have been disrupted due to the rains.

The Met department also warned of a low to moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Mandi, Sirmaur, Shimla and Kullu districts till Sunday morning.

The weather department has cautioned of the possibility of damage to plantations, crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

In view of an ‘orange’ alert of heavy to very heavy rain in Hamirpur district on Saturday, Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner, Amarjit Singh appealed to the residents to take precautions and avoid going near rivers and streams.

He also asked people to not take shelter under trees in bad weather and maintain a safe distance from power wires.

More than 100 people have been killed in rain-related incidents. The state has suffered losses of about Rs 842 crores between June 27 and August 9, officials added.

The rainfall deficit in the state during the monsoon that began on June 1 stood at 28 per cent till August 10 with Himachal Pradesh receiving 328.8 mm rain against an average of 455.5 mm.

The state government has started a new initiative, the HIM-UNNATI scheme, for promoting natural farming across the state. With an allocation of Rs 150 crore, this scheme will bolster the efforts of approximately 1.92 lakh farmers already practising the chemical-free farming on over 32,149 hectares of land.

The programme will focus on making the agriculture sector economically viable through a cluster-based development model and promoting natural farming.

Under HIM-UNNATI, the government will consolidate smallholding farmers to ensure bulk production, ensuring a sufficient marketable surplus. The initiative will also integrate various ongoing agricultural schemes and coordinate with departments such as Animal Husbandry, Horticulture, Fisheries, and Rural Development to maximize the scheme’s impact.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “The scheme would particularly benefit small and marginal farmers, women farmers, and those from weaker sections of society, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The scheme is expected to generate self-employment opportunities for around 50,000 farmers through the creation of 2,600 focused agricultural clusters. Besides, it is likely to increase productivity by 15-20 percent in vegetables and cereals in the state.” — TNS

Chandigarh-Manali highway has been restored to traffic between Mandi and Pandoh on Friday.

The highway was earlier blocked at approximately 9 miles in Mandi district due to a major landslide since Thursday night.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, led to a complete standstill in traffic movement in the region, leaving numerous vehicles stranded.

Taking its initiative to withdraw subsidies being enjoyed by the well-off sections of society a step forward, the Himachal Pradesh Government on Thursday decided to do away with the free drinking water facility in rural areas and free travel facility for all police personnel.

The Cabinet decided to fix Rs 100 monthly charges for people residing in rural areas with domestic connection, who were getting free water supply till now. However, people with less than Rs 50,000 annual income, including widows, destitute, ekal nari, handicapped and other weaker sections, will not be charged anything for water which will be supplied free.

Last month, the cash-strapped Himachal Government had done away with free power subsidy for all income tax payers. Faced with acute fund crunch, the Sukhu-led Congress regime is looking at other areas to withdraw subsidies for the affluent section of society.

It was in May, 2022, that the previous BJP regime had waived off water charges in all rural areas of Himachal which adversely impacted the financial health of the Jal Shakti Department. “This has resulted in huge losses to the Jal Shakti Department which has to pay Rs 800 crore annually to the power department alone for electricity supply for running its schemes,” said an official. There are about 17 lakh water connections in Himachal.

In urban areas, water bills are being issued by urban local bodies but the big commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, educational institutions and show rooms that have come up in large number all along the highways in rural areas were getting free water supply. Henceforth, water meters will be installed in all these commercial establishments located in rural areas and they will be billed for the amount of water they consume as per the meter reading on commercial rates.

The Cabinet also decided to do away with free travel facility in government buses for police personnel as it was being misused. Henceforth, police personnel while on official duty will be given travel reimbursement to prevent misuse of free travel facility by the cops.

Presently, deduction of Rs 110 per month is made from the salary of police personnel for the free travel facility, whether on official or private travel. The state government has to provide Rs 700 crore grant-in-aid annually to Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) as it is incurring huge losses due to subsidised travel facility for women, students, media personnel and other categories, which could also be reviewed.

Heavy rain lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh, causing landslides and closing more than 100 roads in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

The meteorological office here has issued an ‘orange’ warning for moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state on August 10.

The weather office has also cautioned of low to moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Kangra, Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Solan and Mandi districts in the next 24 hours.

A total of 109 roads, including 37 in Mandi, 29 in Shimla, 26 in Kullu, six in Kangra, four each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, two in Sirmaur and one in Hamirpur, are closed while 58 transformers and 15 water supply schemes are disrupted, as per the state emergency operation centre

Since Tuesday evening, the highest rainfall was recorded in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district at 116.6 mm, followed by Narkanda (89 mm), Dhaulakuan (76.5 mm), Karsog (64.2 mm), Nahan (60.3 mm), Katula (44.3 mm), Gharmoor (42.8 mm), Shimla (32.8), and Kufri (32 mm), it said.

Monsoon activity is likely to increase in intensity and distribution during the next five to six days.

The MeT office has also warned about the possibility of landslides and flash floods in some places and damage to plantations, crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Ninety-four persons have been killed in rain-related incidents and the state has suffered losses amounting to Rs 787 crore during the ongoing monsoon season between June 27 and August 7, officials said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest at night recording a low of 12.8 degrees Celsius while Una was the hottest during the day recording a high of 33 degrees Celsius.

To improve standards and quality of education that have deteriorated in past several years is the major challenge for the state government, said Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani while addressing students on the inauguration of the Zonal Under-14 School Games at Dangar village in Bilaspur district yesterday.

He said that the state was at the 18th position in the country in the quality of education. He added that teachers must take the issue seriously as it was their first duty to provide the best education to their students. As many as 310 students of the U-14 age group are participating in the tournament.

Dharmani said that for the overall development of personality of an individual, participation in games along with studies was important. He added that “games teach team work, discipline and brotherhood. Participation in sports also help in making new friends and exchange of ideas”.

The minister said that the state government had taken several initiatives to improve the quality of education and sports infrastructure in schools. He added that the government had increased the prize money for players, who win medals in various international games. Even at the school level, the government had doubled the diet money for players. Rekha Sharma, principal of the school, was present on the occasion. — OC

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) will be transformed into a ‘green transportation system’ as more electric buses are being introduced in its existing fleet of 110 e-buses and 50 e-taxis, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.

Sukhu, who presided over a meeting of the HRTC, said that Rs 327 crore had been provided for purchasing electric buses and the process was underway to procure 2,000 additional type-II e-buses. The entire fleet of diesel buses would be replaced by e-buses in a phased manner, he added.

He said, “In the first phase, the HRTC is plying six buses to Ayodhya to facilitate pilgrims with a plan to add more buses, if necessary. Besides, it is also providing bus services to other religious places.”

Sukhu said that the state government would provide all possible assistance to the corporation to revive itself from financial losses and become a profitable organisation. “The HRTC, which is the lifeline of the hill transport system, plays a pivotal role in providing reliable services to people. More than 12,000 employees are the backbone of the corporation,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also attended the meeting, said that the HRTC was providing reliable transport services in the challenging terrains of the state.

He said that the employees and pensioners of the organisation were now receiving their salaries and pension on the first day of every month for the past seven months, whereas during the previous BJP government, they had to wait for eight to 10 days to get their salaries released.

Online platform ‘Him-access’ to provide 261 citizen-centric services

A unified online platform, ‘Him-access’, designed to provide citizen-centric services by consolidating all government social security schemes, will be launched soon, said the Chief Minister at a meeting of the Digital Technologies and Governance Department
This platform will enable citizens and government officials to access multiple department applications with one click, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
The platform is scheduled to be launched in October this year and will offer 261 services at present available on the e-district portal
The Chief Minister directed officials to develop websites for Milkfed and Natural Farming, emphasising the importance of modern technology in department functioning and to facilitate efficient, transparent and citizen-centric services
He said that the state government was incorporating modern technology in the functioning of all departments to facilitate people

The meteorological centre here on Tuesday cautioned of moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Himachal Pradesh’s seven out of 12 districts — Kangra, Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur and Mandi — in the next 24 hours.

The weather office issued an ‘orange’ alert of very heavy rain in parts of 10 districts of Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan and Una for the next 24 hours till Wednesday evening.

It also issued an ‘orange’ warning of heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state on August 7 and 10.

Monsoon activity is likely to intensify from Tuesday evening and continue for the next five to six days, bringing fairly widespread rain across the state, the MeT said.

As intermittent rain continued to lash several parts of the state, 53 roads were closed, while 63 water supply schemes were affected, the state emergency operation centre said on Tuesday evening.

Sixteen people died in flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on July 31 and 40 are still missing.

Eighteen roads were closed in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, nine in Lahaul and Spiti, six in Kangra and two each in Sirmaur and Kinnaur on Tuesday evening, the emergency response centre said.

Bharwain received the highest rainfall of 66 mm since Monday evening, followed by 56.6 mm in Ghaghas, 53 mm in Jogindernagar, 52.6 mm in Slapper, 46 mm in Gohar, 40.2 mm in Una and 35.5 mm in Bilaspur.

The weather office also warned about the possibility of landslides and flash floods in some places and damage to plantations, standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

According to officials, 93 people were killed in rain-related incidents between June 27 and August 6 and the state suffered losses amounting to Rs 748 crore.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night recording a low of 12.4 degrees Celsius, while Bhuntar in Kullu district was hottest during the day recording a high of 34.2 degrees Celsius. PTI

Actor-MP Kangana Ranaut on Tuesday visited disaster-hit Samej in this district and accused the state government of doing “nothing” to help the victims.

‘Yeh dil dehla deni wali trasadi hai’ (it is a heart-wrenching tragedy). People have lost all their family members, including children. They are terrified and in trauma. I would request the state government to provide immediate relief (financial assistance) to the affected families,” Ranaut, who interacted with the flash flood victims in Samej in Rampur subdivision, said.

The BJP MP from Mandi also demanded a special inquiry into allocation of funds by the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government to the flood-affected families last year.

Himachal Pradesh has been pummelled by heavy rains for almost a week. Fourteen bodies have been recovered so far and 40 people are still missing after flash floods triggered by cloudbursts hit Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31, officials said.

“Malana in Kullu district has been disconnected. The villagers are themselves making the bridge,” Ranaut said.

She accused the state government of doing “nothing” to help the affected people in Samej village, where over 30 people are missing.

“I cannot see anything being done by the state government. Not a single thing has been done here by ministers which is inhuman,” the BJP leader alleged.

Samej village, about 148 km from here, has been worst hit in the flash floods. Rampur, Kullu and Mandi are under the Mandi parliamentary constituency from where Ranaut was elected in the recently held Lok Sabha polls.

“I have come as a representative of the Union government. The central government will provide funds to help the flood-affected people but we all know that financial assistance was also given last year after the monsoon disaster. These funds go to the state government and are distributed by them,” she said.

“No one knows what happened to those funds. The Union finance minister, during her recent budget speech, also assured assistance to Himachal Pradesh but the funds would come through the ‘ditch’ (khada) created by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Only God knows if the money will be distributed or not among the affected families,” the BJP MP said.

“Himachal has been facing disasters ever since the Congress came to power in the state,” she said, claiming the people affected by last year’s disaster are still waiting for the promised Rs 7 lakh by CM Sukhu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided Rs 1,800 crore package to the state after the disaster last year, Ranaut added.

According to the officials, 410 rescuers from the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the search operation, which has been intensified with additional machinery, sniffer dog squads, drones and other equipment.

The hill state has suffered a loss of Rs 684 crore since the onset of the monsoon on June 27 until August 5. Eighty-seven people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The death toll due to flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh increased to 14 on Monday while about 40 people are still missing, officials said.

About 40 people are still missing after a series of cloudbursts occurred in Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31 and wreaked havoc.

The worst hit was Samej village on the border of Shimla and Kullu district where over 30 people are missing.

Of the total, eight bodies were recovered from Mandi’s Rajbhan village, five from Rampur in Shimla district and one from Nirmand in Kullu district, officials said on Monday.

“All the five bodies recovered from Samej are yet to be identified and we have taken DNA samples of 37 relatives of the missing persons,” said Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap said.

The post-mortems are being conducted and the DNA samples will be sent to a forensic lab in Junga for identification of the deceased, he added.

According to the officials, 410 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the hunt and rescuers have intensified the search operation by deploying more machinery, sniffer dog squad, drones and other equipment.

The hill state has suffered a loss of Rs 684 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 27 till August 5. Eighty-seven people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, as per the state emergency operation centre.