HIMACHAL PRADESH

Private universities in the state have volunteered to provide space for micro Covid and quarantine centres with the assistance of the .

As most of the students have returned Home and online studies are going on, the accommodation at the private universities are vacant and they are ready to help the government in this time of crisis.

Ten private universities are willing to provide space to set up Covid and quarantine centres, said Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPEIRC) Maj Gen Atul Kaushik (retd), who had an interaction with the chancellors and vice-chancellors of these universities.

Tribal areas ofHimachal Pradeshare ready to pioneer in the field of and to contribute in achieving the goal of Green Energy State. Plans are underway to set up twosolar power projectsof 400 KW each in Pangi Sub division ofChamba districtfor which land has been transferred to Himurja, the state-run nodal agency for RENEWABLE ENERGY.
Himurja, has selected one hectare of land for each Solar Power Project at Hillaur and Dharwas of Pangi valley and the agency has initiated further action to complete the projects, which will cost approximately Rs 10 crore. Chief MinisterSukhvinder Singh Sukhuhas instructed Himurja to complete the construction work of both solar power projects at the earliest.

The State Government was taking steps towards reducing carbon emissions by harnessing solar energy. To make Himachal a “Green Energy State” by March 31st, 2026, and in order to achieve this goal, the government has set a target to start 500 MW capacity solar power projects in the fiscal 2023-24.

Himachal Pradesh Police has launched the Veerangna on Wheels programme, under which woman police personnel in all 135 police stations of the state have been provided with two-wheelers to respond to calls about crimes against Women.

Under the programme, initiated as part of the Nirbhaya scheme, women help desks have been set up in all 135 police stations. On the occasion of Himachal Pradesh Day, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur flagged off 135 dedicated two-wheelers for these women help desks.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Tuesday said it would be his priority to make the state free from drugs and appealed to the people to cooperate at every level so that “we can save the youth from falling prey to drug abuse”.

Besides, the issue could be discussed in length and measures to be adopted to tackle drug menace to be taken up with the civil and Police authorities of the bordering states that will help routing this evil thoroughly.

Shukla said the issue was also part of discussion when he called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi after becoming the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

A planned strategy has to be chalked out to fight this social evil. He expressed contentment that the police department is doing its job well to capture illegal drugs in day-to-day checkpoints and is also spreading awareness in Society about drug abuse and its consequences.

Aiming at preserving the Environment of the State, the Government intends to make Himachal Pradesh as 1st Green Energy State by the end of 2025 by harnessing hydro, hydrogen and and switch on to green products which will enhance the premium and advantage in export,Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.

He said that refurbishing the present system is essential and the departments should focus on harnessing green energy in the best interest of the State. To ease the norms, Chief Minister directed the officers to make necessary amendments in the existing power policy and open all the solar projects upto 5 MW capacity for allotment. The State Government would also invest in Solar Plants and will install 500 MW Solar projects during the year 2023-24, out of this, 200 MW would be installed by HPPCL for which land has been identified for 70 MW capacity and the rest of the sites will be finalized soon.

Solar projects upto 150 MW capacity would be installed by HIMURJA through private participation and priority would be given to Himachali’s in awarding these projects, said the Chief Minister. The capacity of the projects will range from 250 KW to 1 MW, he added.

About 4,15, 993 senior citizens, 125343 widows, single Women and destitute women, 1482 leprosy patients and about 150 transgender are being covered under the social security scheme in Himachal, said an official spokesman of the .

He said that the State Government is giving utmost priority to the upliftment of senior citizens, women and specially abled persons. Under the various initiatives of the State Government towards welfare of this section of the Society, the government laid special emphasis on expansion of social security schemes.

The expenditure on social security pension has been enhanced upto Rs 1037 crore in 2021, which was Rs 436 crore in 2017. The State Government reduced the age limit of the old age pension scheme from without any income limit from 80 years to 70 years. The age limit for availing the old age pension for women, has also been lowered to 65 years. These decisions of the government have benefited several senior citizens of the state, the spokesman said. The present State Government has sanctioned 1,95,003 new applications under social security pension, providing economic and social security to the people of the state, he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri held a meeting with district-level officials to review various developmental works underway in Una district. He directed the District Administration to identify and create a land bank for public development.

Agnihotri directed the officials concerned to prepare a list of encroachments on government land so that steps could be taken to remove these. He said the PWD and the Jal Shakti Department should speed up formulation of detailed project reports.