HIMACHAL PRADESH

Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the was actively considering framing a new Tourism Policy to enhance visitor experiences by promoting lesser-known destinations of the State.

Presiding over a meeting of the Tourism Department to review various tourism projects being undertaken in the State, he said that State Government was working to increase tourist influx in the State from three to five crore within the next five years. “Nature has blessed Himachal with unprecedented grandeur and there was a need to tap this potential to the maximum to increase the footfall of the tourists,” he said.

Sukhu said that approximately 72 lakh tourists have visited Himachal by May 2023. To accurately assess tourist influx he instructed the Tourism Department to evolve a mechanism for data collection and also directed to improve the Infrastructure with all basic amenities to facilitate the visitors. Tourism plays a crucial role in strengthening the economy of the State and the present State Government has been giving topmost priority to development of tourism-related projects.

The Education Department is contemplating providing cell phones to poor students, who cannot afford smartphones. It plans to launch donate a mobile campaign under which NGOs and individuals would be roped in and companies would be urged to fund mobiles under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

As per a rough estimate, about 10 per cent of students of government schools do not have smart phones. There are about 14,000-15,000 Below https://exam.pscnotes.com/POVERTY-line”>Poverty Line (BPL) students presently studying in Classes X and XII, who would be provided smartphones on priority in the first phase, sources in the Education Department said, maintaining that the final draft proposal was yet to be drawn.

Donate a mobile campaign

It plans to launch ‘Donate a mobile’ campaign under which NGOs and individuals would be roped in and companies would be urged to fund mobiles under the CSR programme

There are about 14,000-15,000 Below Poverty Line students presently studying in Classes X and XII, who will be provided smartphones on priority in the first phase, said sources, maintaining that the final draft proposal was yet to be drawn

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan felicitated Himachal Pradesh for surpassing the Ayushman Bharat targets last year.

The Central Government had allocated a target of making 983 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) functional in 2020-21, and by March 31 this year the state had 1,022 functional HWCs, a 104 per cent success rate. The provision of comprehensive primary health care reduces morbidity and mortality at much lower costs and also significantly reduces the need for secondary and tertiary care. For achieving the target, all primary health centres and sub-centres are to be upgraded to HWCs.

HWCs at the health sub-centre level were being equipped and staffed with an appropriately trained primary health care team comprising a Community Health Officer, multi-purpose and ASHA workers. He added that Services provided at the HCWs consisted of 12 packages encompassing maternal, child, adolescent health and family planning and the national programmes would also be run through these centres.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday exhorted the youth to carry the states rich traditions and culture throughout the country and abroad so that the world could imbibe and eulogize its uniqueness.

Sukhu, addressing the gathering during the annual cultural program Himachal Ek Jhalak organized by Himachal Students Union (HIMSU) in Panjab University at Chandigarh, said that our State is known for warm hospitality, its unique cultural heritage, its cuisine etc which have been attracting both national and international tourists since long. It is our duty to spread our culture across national boundaries, said the Chief Minister, adding that our culture, customs, and traditions also play an important role in strengthening the economy.

Youth, being the real strength of the country, should channelize their boundless energy for the welfare of the State and its citizens, he said while urging the youth to stay away from social evil, like drugs.

Also sharing memories of his student and political life, the Chief Minister exhorted the students to move forward by setting a goal in the life and to make efforts to achieve the same and thereafter should contribute for the betterment of the Society.

Also counting various initiatives like setting up the Muhkya Mantri Sukh-Aashray Yojna, for destitute and orphan children, the Chief Minister also detailed about the decisions taken to strengthen the Education set-up, measures for making Himachal the first Green Energy state of the country by the year 2025, Government’s plans to operate electrical buses all over the State in the next three years etc.

The Government in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday slammed the door onsaleof tea gardens allowed under certain clauses of the Land Ceiling Act after passage of the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the state assembly on the last day of the budget session. Once thebillis approved by the governor, it will be sent to the President for his assent.

The Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972 (Act No 19 of 1973), was enacted to put a ceiling on the big landholdings. However, with an objective to promote tea in the state, the lands under tea estate were exempted from the operation of the Act under clause (g) of Section 5 of this Act. The bill seeks to remove the clauses that allowed sale of land under tea gardens.

The bill was tabled in the assembly last year, but it was referred to the select committee following protests by the opposition parties.

In the last three years,Himachal Pradeshhas reported more than 7,000 people as missing and they include 1,900-odd men, 4,000-odd Women, 200-odd boys, and 850-odd girls. It has traced more than 6,1oo-odd or almost 88 % of them.
The state has recovered 1,600-odd or 82% of the men, 3,500-odd or 88% of the women, 190-odd or 95% or the boys, and 829 or 97% of the girls. Director General of policeSanjay Kundusaid a high success rate of the recovery effort had prevent recurrence of similar crimes. He said: Missing persons are those who have disappeared and their status as alive or dead has to be confirmed, as their location and fate are unknown. They are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
For tracing women and children, the state Police had started Register 28-B from January 1, 2021, at the police stations for theDGPto monitor the progress every Monday. Police found 15 children (14 girls & a boys) to be habitual runaways. Anti-human trafficking units (AHTUs) are active in 12 districts, which include Baddi but exclude Lahaul-Spiti.

The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for providing subsidy on the purchase of pesticides to fruit growers has received a poor response. Only a handful of fruit growers have completed the required formalities to claim the subsidy. The response has been poor. Not many growers have come forward to claim the subsidy amount in Shimla district where the consumption of pesticides is the highest because of high apple production, says Desh Raj Sharma, Deputy Director, Shimla. The response in other districts, too, has been lukewarm.

Till last year, when the scheme was introduced, the growers used to get subsidised pesticides from around 350 outlets in the state. The Horticulture Department used to purchase pesticides worth Rs around Rs 18 crore to Rs 20 crore from the market and sell it to the growers on subsidised rates. Under the DBT scheme, a grower can claim a subsidy of Rs 4,000 per hectare for temperate fruits such as apple and pear, and Rs 2,000 per hectare for sub-tropical fruits such as mango, and guava. To avail of the subsidy, the growers have to buy the pesticides mentioned in the spray schedule of the Horticulture Department from the empanelled companies and then upload the bills along with the forms and revenue papers/Udyan card on the e-Udyan portal.

The scheme, however, has failed to catch the growers attention so far. Even in a big horticulture block like Theog, the department has received just eight to 10 claims so far. Maybe people are not aware of the scheme or they are hesitating because of the formalities involved, says Suneel Sharma, HDO, Theog.

The government has constituted a Cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of the promise to grant Rs 1500 per month to Women aged 18-60 years.

Besides Shandil, other members of the committee are Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh. Social and Empowerment Secretary will be the member secretary. The committee will present its recommendations to the Cabinet within 30 days.

The Cabinet had also decided to form another sub-committee to finalise the modalities to generate one lakh EMPLOYMENT opportunities this year.