SHIMLA 31 July, 2025

CM and Deputy CM express grief over death of army officers in an accident

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri have expressed grief over the death of Army officers in an accident in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, when their vehicle was hit by a huge boulder.

In this unfortunate incident, Lt. Col. Bhanu Pratap Singh Mankotia from Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and Lance Dafadar Daljit Singh from Gurdaspur, Punjab, lost their lives, while three other Army personnel were seriously injured.

The Chief Minister said that this was an irreparable loss for the entire nation. He paid tributes to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

The Deputy CM said that the Nation would always remember the service of these brave soldiers and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.

They prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense loss. They also wished a speedy recovery to the injured personnel.

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Senior Editor Dr. Rajesh Sharma retires from Department of Information & Public Relations

A warm farewell ceremony was held today at the Directorate of Information and Public Relations to honour Senior Editor of Giriraj Weekly Newspaper Dr. Rajesh Sharma on his retirement.

Dr. Sharma began his journey with the department on 9th October, 1995 as a Sub-Editor. Over the span of nearly 30 years, he made a remarkable mark through his editorial acumen and administrative competence. Known for his dedication and professionalism, Dr. Sharma played a pivotal role in enhancing the department’s publications communication efforts and served as Press Secretary to the former Chief Minister.

Extending his best wishes to Dr. Sharma, Director of Information and Public Relations, Rajiv Kumar, acknowledged his lasting contributions to the department and wished him a happy, healthy and meaningful retirement.

As a token of respect and gratitude, Additional Director Mahesh Pathania felicitated and honoured Dr. Sharma on behalf of the department. He praised Dr. Sharma’s work ethic, sincerity and the legacy he leaves behind.

Joint Directors Ajay Parashar and U.C. Kaundal along with senior officials and staff, gathered on the occasion to extend their best wishes to Dr. Sharma and expressed appreciation for his decades of dedicated service and wished for his healthy and happy retired life.

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H.P. Cabinet Decisions

The State Cabinet, in its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, decided to introduce OBC reservation in the upcoming Urban Local Bodies elections. To facilitate this, it also approved the constitution of a Backward Classes Commission to compile accurate data on the population of backward classes before finalizing the reservation roster.

The Cabinet further recommended to the Governor to convene the Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from 18th August to 2nd September, 2025.

It also granted a one-time relaxation of two years in the upper age limit for aspirants appearing for the competitive examination for TGT and JBT posts, to be conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog.

The Cabinet decided to reserve one seat per course in all government besides the government aided and private technical institutions including ITIs, Polytechnics, Engineering and Pharmacy Colleges for orphans.

To strengthen healthcare services in remote and tribal regions, it also approved the engagement of 290 additional ASHA workers, ensuring better access to essential health services in these areas.

The Cabinet also decided to fill up five posts of Law Officer (English) and two posts of Law Officer (Hindi) in the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat.

Additionally, it approved the creation and filling up of three posts of Research Officer in the offices of the Integrated Tribal Development Project at Bharmour, Pangi, and Spiti.

In light of the widespread devastation caused by torrential rains during the ongoing monsoon season in the State, the Cabinet granted ex post facto approval for providing financial assistance in the form of rent support for affected families residing in relief camps. Families will receive rent assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) at the rate of Rs. 5,000 per month in rural areas and Rs. 10,000 per month in urban areas for maximum period of 6 months.

To check illegal activities at manufacturing units, the Cabinet decided to post two Home Guards each at distilleries, bottling, and brewery plants. It also approved the posting of a State Taxes and Excise Officer at each such plant, with mandatory rotation within the same district after a prescribed period.

The Cabinet approved the auction of 10 minor mineral quarries in district Kangra and the re-auction of 11 such quarries in district Bilaspur. This is expected to generate revenue of Rs. 18.82 crore for the State exchequer, in addition to creating direct and indirect employment opportunities and helping curb illegal mining.

It approved the establishment of Tourism Investment Promotion Council under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, to entertain the projects entailing investment of more than 50 crore each. The Council will process the cases within a period of 30 days.

To streamline and monitor free or concessional travel facilities, the Cabinet granted approval to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) for issuing the HIM BUS CARD to eligible beneficiaries.

It decided to launch Phase-II of the Himachal Pradesh Sadbhawana Legacy Cases Resolution Scheme, 2025, for a period of three months from 1st September 2025, aiming to resolve approximately 30,000 pending cases. The scheme will also cover cases related to State Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products up to the financial year 2020–21.

The Cabinet also approved a one-time legacy policy to regularize unregistered construction equipment vehicles. Under this policy, owners can register their vehicles upon payment of the applicable one-time tax and 50 percent of the due penalty, to be paid in lump sum. The policy will remain in effect for three months from the date of notification. As per estimates, there are 2,795 defaulter's vehicles in the State that may benefit from this initiative.

The Cabinet also decided to approve the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub Committee under chairmanship of Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani to suggest optimum use of un-utilized vacant government buildings. The committee has recommended that all vacant government buildings of various departments may be utilized in a phased manner. It was also recommended to designate a nodal agency for providing space to the government departments, boards and corporations who require the same for setting up their offices.

The Cabinet decided to make the water tariff rates uniform in the Municipal Corporation Solan irrespective of the service provider by applying the rates of Jal Shakti Vibhag. This decision will benefit thousands of water consumers of Solan Municipal Corporation.

It decided to exclude Stadium Amatar and Panchayat Ghar Bela area of ward number 8 from the Municipal Council Nadaun of Hamirpur district.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to initiate the operation of lotteries in the State.

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Revenue Minister holds meeting with farmer and orchardist Organizations

· Assures full support in land-related issues

Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi, held a meeting with representatives of the Seb Utpadak Sangh, Sanyukt Kisan Manch and Kisan Sabha here today. Various challenges being faced by farmers and horticulturists across the State were discussed in detail in the meeting.

The representatives urged that land in villages, which is recorded under individual's names in revenue records, should not be treated as forest land. They further stated that the Supreme Court in several judgments has directed to carry out proper demarcation before eviction is initiated and only after completing the due process should eviction be undertaken. The representatives also requested the state government to actively defend pending cases in courts on behalf of farmers and orchardists.

The Revenue Minister gave a patient hearing to all concerns raised and assured all possible support from the state government. He said that the government is committed to protect the interests of farmers and horticulturists and appropriate decisions will be taken in their favour.

He further said that the Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Revenue) will soon hold a detailed meeting with representatives of these organizations to discuss each issue thoroughly.

MLA Harish Janartha, former MLA Rakesh Singha, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Revenue) Kamlesh Kumar Pant , Sanyukt Kisan Manch Convener Harish Chauhan, Kisan Sabha President Kuldeep Tanwar and Kisan Utpadak Sangh President Sohan Thakur and other senior officers were present in the meeting.

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Rs. 47,05,683 contributed towards CM relief Fund

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was presented a cheque of Rs. 47,05,683 by MLA and Member of Executive Council of Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla Harish Janartha towards Chief Minister's Relief Fund on behalf of teaching faculties and non-teaching staff of the University here today.

The Chief Minister thanked this noble gesture and said that such contributions go a long way in helping the people in need. He urged the general public to contribute liberally towards this fund.

Speaker H.P. Vidhan Sabha Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Vice Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University Prof. Mahavir Singh were also present on the occasion among others.