HIMACHAL PRADESH

The is setting up grid solar power Plants and micro hydel projects in tribal areas to scale up Energy Efficiency and mitigate power crisis in winters.

A 250 watt Solar Energy system is being provided to the people of the Pangi valley in Chamba district to provide electricity to poor families.

HIMURJA is setting up the solar energy plant, which provides power to five LED tubes of 9 watt, which last for more than five hours, and LED television of 40 watt works up to four hours and also charges mobile phones.

In 2020-21, about a thousand BPL families were provided a 250 watt grid solar power plant with an expenditure of approximately Rs 3.83 crore in the Pangi valley. About 2,162 BPL families would be distributed the off-grid solar power plants.

Tractor and implements maker Sonalika will set up a new harvester plant at Amb in Himachal Pradesh with an of Rs 200 crore.

Spread across 29 acres, the factory is equipped with a Rs 18 crore CED ( Cathode Electric Deposition) paint shop as well.

Sonalika rolled out its new harvester on Tuesday – the Sonalika Samrat – priced at Rs 25.5 lakh.

Himachal Pradesh government notified the Draft Shimla Development Plan, aimed at regulating construction activities in the capital city.

The state cabinet approved the final draft of the SDS, which includes new provisions with regard to the number of floors, habitable attic and garage in a building.

The cabinet, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, cleared the draft plan presented by the urban development department.

The plan was approved by the previous government in February 2022 but it did not materialise as the (NGT) passed stay orders, terming it illegal and in conflict with earlier orders passed in 2017 to regulate haphazard constructions in Shimla.

The plan named Vision 2041, when implemented, would pave the way for construction in 17 green belts with certain restrictions and also in the core area where construction activity was banned by the NGT.

Union DEFENCE ministerRajnath Singh virtually inaugurated 63 bridges from Kungyam in eastern Laddakh constructed byBorder Road Organization(BRO) in eight states across the country, including three inHimachal Pradesh.

He said 40-m Pangi bridge on Powari-Pooh road constructed at a cost of Rs 4.27 crore would provide round-the-year connectivity and would enhance logistic support to boost the morale of troops.
Thakur said Kiran khud bridge constructed at a cost of Rs 5.55 crore would play an important role in maintaining supply lines to troops besides ensuring uninterrupted line of Communication. He said the bridge would also enhance socio- by giving impetus to agricultural activities in the area.

The SJVN recorded its highest-ever revenue of Rs 3,299 crore during 2022-23. The previous highest (Rs 3,256 crore) was recorded in 2014-15. SJVN chairman Nand Lal Sharma said the revenue this year registered a Growth of 25.67 per cent over the last years figure of Rs 2,626 crore.

He said the SJVN recorded Rs 1,363.45-crore profit after tax in 2022-23, which was 39.48 per cent more than the previous years figure of Rs 977.52 crore. The net worth has increased from Rs 13,128 crore to Rs 13,822 crore, an increase of around Rs 694 crore, he said. The earning per share (EPS) also increased from Rs 2.60 to Rs 3.50 during the period, an increase of 34.61 per cent, he added.

The wheat procurement in the state has surpassed the last years level by 30 per cent. Four new centres have been opened to purchase wheat from farmers after strict restrictions were announced by Punjab and Haryana in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

Around 4,500 MT of wheat has been procured against the total of 3,100 MT last year. The procurement will continue for one month.

The (Fci) has procured wheat for Rs 1,975 per quintal, benefiting 1,124 farmers.

The centres are opened in Paonta Sahib and Kala Amb (Sirmaur), Kanger and Takrala (Una), Fatehpur and Thakurdwara (Kangra) Nalagarh (Solan) and Patta (Bilaspur) from farmers, who were unable to sell their produce in the neighbouring states.

Wheat produced in the Paonta valley is known for its quality but the farmers were either dependent on middlemen or travelled to the markets in Punjab and Haryana to sell their produce at throwaway prices.

To improve drinking water and sanitation Services in five towns of Himachal Pradesh, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ofRs 817.12-crore projecthas been signed by the with French development agencyAgence Francaise de Development(AFD).

The objective of the project is to develop better sewerage facilities in five towns Manali, Bilaspur, Palampur, Nahan and Karsog and to improve drinking water supply in Manali and Palampur towns.

The MoU was signed in the presence of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri by the secretary (Jal Shakti Vibhag) Amitabh Awasthi on behalf of the state government and AFD country director Bruno Bosle on behalf of AFD.
Sukhu said that under the project, Rs 612 crore would be provided by AFD, whereas the state government would provide Rs 204.85 crore.

He said that out of Rs 425.85 crore in the first phase, Rs 340 crore would be financed by AFD and in the second phase AFD would provide Rs 272 crore out of a total project cost of Rs 371 crore.

Himurja, state governments nodal agency for programmes, has opened the doors for all power producers to set up ground-mounted solar power projects having capacity ranging from 1 MW to 5 MW.

Till now, only the Himachalis were allowed to set up solar power projects up to 5 MW capacity

The government has given Himurja the target of allotting projects of 100 MW combined capacity during this financial year250KW to 1MW solar projects having 30 MW combined capacity will be reserved for bona fide Himachalis

All solar power producers will be eligible to apply for the remaining 70 MW combined capacity as regards 1 MW to 5 MW projects

TheHimachal Pradeshgovernment on Wednesday notified the constitution of a commission for general category, or what it has namedSamanya Varg Aayog.

The notification also incudes the commissions term of office, objectives, powers and functions.
A massive protest outside the Himachal Pradesh assembly complex at Tapovan in Dharamshala during the winter session on December 10 last year had forced the to announce the formation of Samanya Varg Aayog. Now, right ahead of assembly Elections, the state government has issued a notification to pacify general category voters.

The Samanya Varg Aayog will have one chairperson and two members, who shall be nominated by the state government. An officer who is or has not been below the rank of joint secretary of the state government will be nominated as the member secretary. The term of aayog will be one year and can be extended further. Its headquarters will be at Shimla.

The aayog shall have the power to call for necessary information from any government department, government or semi-government bodies, Public Sector Undertakings and autonomous bodies and to travel in the entire state, whenever it is required for the purpose of this aayog and in the interest of the targeted general classes.
The state government will provide the commission with officers and employees as may be necessary for it for efficient performance preferably from surplus pool/ on secondment basis/outsource basis.