Over 70 head of sheep and goats died when lightning struck a remote Rajgundha village, 90 km from Palampur, last night.

Reports said a shepherd and his flock of sheep and goats were on their way to high hills in the Dhauladhars. Because of inclement weather, he was resting under a tree near the village.

Suddenly, lightning stuck the tree, killing 70 animals on the spot. However, he and his two companions had a narrow escape.

SDM, Baijnath, Salem Aazam received the report this afternoon. He sent a team of rescue workers to Rajgundha to help the victims. He also sanctioned financial assistance to the family of the victim.

Trilok Kapoor, Chairman of the HP State Wool Federation, said he had directed the administration and Animal Husbandry Department to provide immediate relief to the victims.

He said financial help would also be provided to the shepherd.

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 14 (ANI): Singer Neha Kakkar’s husband and Punjabi singer Rohanpreet Singh’s personal belongings including a diamond ring and cash were stolen at a hotel in Mandi here, said a police official on Saturday.

Neha Kakkar’s husband was staying in a hotel at Mandi, when his diamond ring, iPhone, and other expensive belongings were stolen.

Mandi Superintendent of Police, Shalini Agnihotri said, “Personal belongings, including cash, iPhone, smartwatch, and a diamond ring of Punjabi singer Rohanpreet Singh stolen from a hotel in Mandi where he was staying. Case registered and investigation is on. Rohanpreet Singh is singer Neha Kakkar’s husband.”

Police took cognizance of the matter and registered a case. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)

According to the reports, the theft took place while Rohanpreet was staying in a hotel at Mandi. His diamond ring, phone, and other expensive belongings were reportedly stolen. However, the singer has not issued any statement so far. Mandi Superintendent of Police, Shalini Agnihotri told ANI, “Personal belongings, including cash, iPhone, smartwatch, and a diamond ring of Punjabi singer Rohanpreet Singh stolen from a hotel in Mandi where he was staying. Case registered and investigation is on. Rohanpreet Singh is singer Neha Kakkar’s husband.”

A case has been registered following the incident and the police have begun the investigation.

Recently, Kakkar shared a video with her husband on her social media handle. The video appears to be from the hotel room in Mandi. In the video, Neha and Rohanpreet were seen enjoying their morning tea and enjoying their vacation.

Talking about the personal front, Neha Kakkar got married to singer Rohanpreet in 2020. The couple met through a music video and fell in love. They got married in a grand affair in the presence of their family and friends.

On the professional front, apart from her songs, Neha Kakkar was last seen as a judge in Indian Idol Season 12. Neha Kakkar has been judging ‘Indian Idol’ for several seasons now. Whereas, Rohanpreet Singh recently released his song La La La with Neha. The new track has received a positive response from the audience.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a four-day visit to Himachal Pradesh from Thursday, a state government official said.

He will address a special session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly and will be chief guest at the Valedictory Ceremony of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts at Shimla, the official said.

The President will stay at Cecil hotel at Chaura Maidan here instead of The Retreat—the President’s residence at Chharabra on the outskirts of Shimla—as four its employees had tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, he added.

The state Assembly Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar told the media here on Tuesday that President Ram Nath Kovind would address the special session of the state Assembly on Friday at 11 am to mark the golden jubilee of Himachal Pradesh’s statehood.

Kovind will be the third President to address the state Assembly. Then presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee addressed the state Assembly in 2003 and 2013, respectively, he added.

Apart from the sitting MLAs, all the former MLAs including former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal have been invited to attend the special session, the official added.

Ninety-three former MLAs, including Kumar and Dhumal, have given their consent to attend the special session.

Five MPs from the state and seven former MPs will also attend the session, the official said.

All those who will come in close contact with the President will have to carry a COVID-19 RTPCR negative report, he added.

A group photo of the President with the current and former legislators will also be taken as a memory at the Assembly, he added.

On September 18, the President will be chief guest at the Valedictory Ceremony of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS Officer Trainees of 2018 and 2019 Batches) at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts at Shimla from 11 am to 12 noon.

According to the schedule, the President will reach Annadale Helipad on September 16 at 12 noon via Chandigarh from Palam airport, Delhi. Subsequently, he will reach Cecil hotel at Chaura Maidan here at around 12.25 pm, the official said.

President Kovind will address the special session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Friday from 11 am to 12 noon, he added.

In the evening on Friday, he will attend a cultural programme at 7.30 pm and banquet at 8 pm hosted by the state governor, he added.

On September 18, the President will be chief guest at the Valedictory Ceremony at National Academy of Audit and Accounts at Shimla from 11 am to 12 noon, he added.

On September 19, he will reach Annadale helipad at 11.15 am to leave for Palam airport in Delhi via Chandigarh. He will reach the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 1.35 pm on Sunday, the official added. PTI

source : The Tribune

The Manali-Leh highway was on Monday closed for normal traffic after fresh snow at Baralacha pass in Lahaul and Spiti district.

Lahaul-Spiti SP Manav Verma said that according to the information received from Border Roads Organisation, there was fresh snow at Baralacha pass. As a result, traffic movement has come to a standstill on the highway.

The HRTC authorities at Keylong have suspended their bus service between Delhi and Leh since Sunday.

The SP said people were advised to avoid journey towards Leh until the situation improved. Due to fresh snow at Baralacha pass the Manali-Leh route has been closed for traffic till further orders.

“Further updates will be given when the road is cleared by the BRO and traffic resumes over Baralacha Pass,” he added.

source : The Tribune

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras retained the top spot among institutes in the country, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, ranked the best among research institutions, according to the Ministry of Education’s NIRF ranking announced on Thursday.

In the sixth edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, eight IITs and two National Institutes of Technology (NITs) figured in the top 10 engineering institutions in the country.

As per the NIRF ranking, AIIMS Delhi has bagged the top spot among medical colleges, followed by PGIMER, Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College, Vellore.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad ranked as the best B-School, while Jamia Hamdard was declared the top institution for pharmacy studies.

In the colleges category, Miranda House in Delhi bagged the first rank, followed by Lady Sri Ram College for Women, Delhi, and Loyola College, Chennai. PTI

source : The Tribune

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who refers to Himachal as his second home, amply proved this in his interaction with healthcare workers, panchayat representatives and senior citizens as he fondly remembered the hill state’s cuisine, deities and revered Buddhist gompas.

“I am missing Mandyali dham (feast) that I relish so much. The people of Seraj, including Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and people like you seem to have made it a mission to vaccinate every person,” he said in his interaction with Dyal Singh, Thunag panchayat in Seraj Assembly segment in Mandi represented by the Chief Minister. The Prime Minister today interacted and lauded the efforts of health workers in making Himachal number one in the Covid vaccine drive and its zero wastage.

Modi’s first initiation was with Dr Rahul hailing from Kutch in Gujarat, the PM’s home state of Gujarat. “I had never seen the mountains, so I thought of serving in a difficult area like Dodra Kawar in Rohru area of Shimla district,” said Dr Rahul when PM asked how he landed here.

“We faced problems like a 10-hour arduous climb on the steep mountains and poor internet signal but there was no problem in getting vaccine supply,” he stated when about the challenges he faced. Speaking in Gujarati, he said teams were sent to each village to educate people in local language. The PM asked him whether his friends and family have visited Dodra Kawar.

The Prime Minister lauded the constructive role played by the Buddhist monasteries and religious leaders in convincing people to take the vaccine in his interaction with Nawang Upasak from the tribal area of Lahaul. “When Covid came to the Valley, people got scared and got cut off from the country. We got in touch with priests at all the Gompas (Buddhist monasteries) and asked them to urge monks and people to take the vaccine as there was no fear of side effects. Then Dalai Lama took the vaccine, videos of which went viral, which further convinced people,” he said.

source : The Tribune

The National Green Tribunal has refused to permit a project of multi-level parking and other commercial activities, including a Hotel on the railway land at Shimla in Himachal Pradesh.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson justice A K Goel said the project is not permissible as per the earlier directions of this tribunal which held that new constructions were required to be restricted in the core/green/forest area and even constructions for public utilities were required to be regulated to protect ecology.

The tribunal rejected the submission of the petitioners that the supervisory committee, formed to evaluate construction of exceptional nature, has recommended the proposal for construction of multilevel parking which also has construction for commercial purposes/hotel.

It also refused to agree with the submission that the project is necessitated by directions of the High Court and to promote public interest in controlling traffic congestion.

“We are unable to entertain the applications. Admittedly, the project is not permissible as per the directions of this tribunal, which have attained finality. The directions of this Tribunal are in the nature of an order in rem (against a thing). So long as the same stand, no order permitting the said project can be allowed,” the bench said in its August 31 order.

The green panel said that even if a part of the project is held to be of public utility, in that garb the main project is of commercial nature and goes upto three stories above the hill level.

“We, thus, do not find it appropriate to entertain the applications to review/modify the order of this tribunal,” the bench said.

The NGT said that the supervisory committee itself has found that the project is partly of public utility and partly for commercial purposes and is not within the purview of directions of this tribunal.

“It is difficult to say that the entire project is necessitated by the order of the High Court, as sought to be contended. Precautionary principle is significant in such matters and in the main judgement such projects have been found to have potential for disasters, based on expert studies,” the NGT said.

The NGT in 2017 had banned all construction, residential or commercial, in any part of the “green, forest and core areas” of Himachal Pradesh and within three metres of the national highways.

It had also formed the Supervisory Committee to consider and evaluate the need for construction of buildings of exceptional nature and make recommendations, if necessary.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Rail Land Development Authority seeking directions to permit the project of multi-level parking and other commercial activities, including Hotel on the railway land (Railway Godown below Winter Field) at Shimla. PTI

Source : The Tribune

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said that the credit for Himachal becoming the first state in the country to vaccinate over 99 per cent of the eligible population goes to doctors and paramedical staff, who worked with dedication, and people, who cooperated actively.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated the state as it was about to achieve the target of cent per cent coverage of the first dose of vaccine to the eligible population. He stated this while addressing a public rally after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 26 projects worth about Rs 100 crore for the Manali Assembly constituency at Baragran in Manali subdivision of Kullu district.

Thakur accused successive Congress governments of doing nothing to strengthen health services and infrastructure in the state. He said that when the pandemic started, there were only two oxygen plants and 50 ventilators in the state but now there were over 12 functional oxygen plants and 800 ventilators. He added that 28 more PSA oxygen plants were being established in various health institutions.

He said that the state government had provided 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies to ensure their active participation in the process of development.

The Chief Minister announced the opening of a Jal Shakti division at Manali, construction of a helipad at Nathan, upgrade of various schools, upgrade and opening of various health and veterinary institutions, increasing the bed capacity of the Civil Hospital at Manali from 50 to 100, Rs 20 lakh for the Baragaon road, Rs 10 lakh each for nine newly curved out panchayats in the Manali Assembly segment and the opening of a gausadan at Manali. He said that the matter regarding the opening of a hotel management institute at Manali would be taken up with the Central Government.

Earlier, Thakur inaugurated projects worth Rs 40.13 crore, including the buildings of educational institutions, roads, bridges and water supply schemes. He laid the foundation stones of 12 developmental projects worth Rs 60.39 crore, including an indoor stadium in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, flood protection work along the Beas (right bank) at Katrain village and the augmentation of various water supply schemes.

Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur thanked the Chief Minister for dedicating developmental projects to the Manali constituency.

source: The Tribune

The Adani Group has announced prices for procuring apple for its CA stores. Compared to last year, the prices announced for premium apple are around 20 per cent less this time – the opening price for the premium apple last year was Rs 88 per kg. This time, it is Rs 72. The apple growers are not happy and some are even threatening to boycott the corporate giant.

“It’s very disheartening and the apple growers should boycott the organisation this time,” said Harish Chauhan, president of the Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Growers Association. “Also, their price-fixing mechanism is arbitrary. Neither is there any government official nor any representative of farmers when the prices are fixed,” said Chauhan.

Manjeet Shilu, plant head of the Adani CA store at Bithal, said the prices offered by the corporate were good, especially considering the fact that growers do not have to pay for packing and grading. “We have a pool of around 17,000 growers who give us apple. We hold discussions with them before fixing the prices to get a sense of what they are expecting,” said Shilu. “And since we have announced the prices, we have not received even a single call from farmers to complain about the rates. Only those growers are complaining who never give apple to Adani stores,” he said.

Nevertheless, many growers are not convinced. “The rates they have announced are definitely poor. Farmers are getting better prices for good quality apple in mandis,” said Lokinder Bisht, president of the Progressive Growers Association. Alleging that the farmers are being exploited by the corporates, who have been given huge subsidies by the government to set up CA stores, Bisht said the government should instead give incentives to growers to set up small-volume cold stores so that they can control the supply chain whenever there is glut in the market and the prices crash.

Just a day back, Kisan Sangharash Samiti had demanded the introduction of Market Intervention Scheme on the lines of Kashmir to ensure that prices do not fluctuate too much. “If the government buys substantial amount of apple at reasonable prices, like it does through Nafed in Kashmir, the market will remain more or less stable and market forces will not be able to exploit the growers,” said Bisht.

According to the rates announced today, the produce having less than 60 per cent colour will be sold for Rs 12 to Rs 15. For the record, the cost of production per kg of apple is around Rs 25.

source : The Tribune

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Meeting the shortage of specialist and super-specialist doctors in the state has become a major challenge for the government. In the past one year, over 50 super-specialists and specialists have left the job or proceeded on higher studies.

At present, over 100 posts of specialist and super-specialist are lying vacant in hospitals and medical colleges.

The Tanda college, which caters to the medical requirements of the state, is the worst affected.

In the past six months, six doctors, most of them super-specialists, have left, resulting in crippling departments amid the Covid crisis. Most doctors had joined AIIMS, Bilaspur.

Those who have left the college included Dr Lokesh Rana of the Radiology Department, who is an expert in MRI, trus biopsy, MR arthrogram and alcohol ablation. These technologies are helpful in detecting prostate and bone cancers.

Earlier, such patients had to go to the PGI, Chandigarh, and AIIMS, New Delhi, for the treatment. However, Dr Rana had created these facilities in the TMC. He has joined AIIMS, Bilaspur.

Other doctors who have left the TMC and shifted to AIIMS, Bilaspur, include Dr Rupali, a physiologist, Dr Priyander Singh Thakur, a super-specialist in endocrinology, Dr Ashish Sharma, a neuro-physician, and Dr Navneet, a plastic surgeon. Dr Vikrant Kanwar, administrative officer, has also joined AIIMS. Dr Smriti Gupta, a paediatrician and super-specialist, has also quit the TMC.

In the absence of a separate cadre for specialists and super-specialists and a lack of proper working conditions, the doctors are not willing to serve the state.

source : The Tribune

A massive landslide near Nigulsari in Kinnaur district on Wednesday killed 14 persons, including a child and five women, and injured 13 others while 50 are feared buried under the debris.The tragedy struck around 12.30 pm. Several vehicles, including a truck and 42-seater Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, were hit by the landslide. The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla

The incident was reported by the bus driver, who was seriously injured. The bus and at least three other vehicles, including a Bolero and Tata Sumo, were buried under the debris while the truck was hit by a boulder and plunged into the Sutlej.

Kinnaur SP Saju Ram Rana said 10 bodies had been recovered from the rubble so far. He said the rescue operation was being carried out by ITBP, police and NDRF personnel while 10 ambulances and four earth-movers were also at the spot

.Due to darkness the operations were halted for sometime during the night but were resumed at 6 a.m and wreckages of HRTC bus has been spotted. Over 100 personnel of ITBP, Army and police are engaged in operations. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur is expected to visit the slide site shortly.

State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said the landslide occurred at Chaura village on National Highway-5 in Nigulsari area, 170 km from Shimla.

Video captures horror

A video clip of the landslide showed boulders falling down the mountainside into the Sutlej river below. This was followed by a big chunk of the mountain collapsing on the National Highway 5 and into the river.

Earlier, the Tata Sumo was located under the debris and its eight passengers were found dead, he said.

A car was partially damaged while another was fully damaged. The rescue teams were trying to pull them out with the help of a crane, officials said. The rescue had to be halted late in the evening as boulders were rolling down the mountainside, posing grave risk to rescuers.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who apprised PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of the situation, said both of them had assured full support to the state. The PM announced an ex gratia of Rs2 lakh each from the PM’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of landslide victims while Rs50,000 each would be given to the injured.

Toddler, 5 women among victims

Rohit, Kayao, Shimla

Vijay Kumar, Jhol, Hamipur

Meera Devi, Nanspo, Kinnaur

Nitisha, Sungra, Kinnaur

Prem Kumari, Labrang , Kinnaur

Kamlesh Kumar, Rechuta, Solan

Vanshuka (toddler), Sapni, Kinnaur

Gyan Dassi, Sapni , Kinnaur

Devi Chand, Palingi, Kinnaur

One body yet to be identified

SOURCE : THE TRIBUNE