SHIMLA-3rd September, 2025

*Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma presenting cheques worth Rs. 62000 to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on behalf of people of Jaisinghpur Assembly Constituency of Kangra district towards Chief Minister Relief Fund at Shimla

Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma presenting cheques worth Rs. 62000 to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on behalf of people of Jaisinghpur Assembly Constituency of Kangra district towards Chief Minister Relief Fund at Shimla on 3rd September, 2025.

Education Minister invites Governor for teacher's day function

Education Minister Rohit Thakur formally invited the Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to grace the Teachers’ Day function as Chief Guest, to be held on 5^th September 2025.

During a courtesy call at Raj Bhavan today the Education Minister briefed the Governor on several important initiatives undertaken by the State Government in the education sector. He shared details of the steps being taken to improve quality education, enhance infrastructure, and strengthen digital learning facilities in schools across Himachal Pradesh.

The Governor appreciated the efforts of the Education Department and observed that education is the cornerstone of social and national development. He said that the State has always been known for its rich tradition of learning, and it is imperative to continue to strengthen the system to meet the aspirations of students in the modern era.

The meeting also witnessed a wide-ranging discussion on challenges and opportunities in the education sector, including skill development, teacher training, and the need for innovative practices to equip students for the future.

C.P. Verma Secretary to Governor was also present on the occasion.

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Schools and Colleges in state to remain closed till 7th September: Education Minister

• Himachal to observe International Literacy Day on 8th September

Education Minister Rohit Thakur today presided over a review meeting with senior officers of the Higher and School Education Departments to assess the situation caused by continuous heavy rainfall across the state.

He said that the State has been experiencing persistent heavy to very heavy rainfall for the past several days, leading to landslides, falling of trees, road blockages and damage to public infrastructure, including educational institutions. Nearly 743 schools and colleges have been affected, with estimated losses amounting to about Rs. 50 crore.

In view of the prevailing inclement weather and to ensure the safety of students and staff, it has been decided that all Government and Private Schools and Colleges, including DIETs, shall remain closed till 7th September 2025. Teachers and administrative staff have also been exempted from attending institutions during this period. However, the Heads of Institutions have been directed to ensure that classes were conducted online wherever possible and to remain vigilant in safeguarding school property and records.

The Minister directed that funds received under the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) be utilized prudently, with added priority to institutions sustaining more than 75 percent damage. He stressed the importance of regular physical monitoring to ensure quality repair and restoration works.

During the meeting, the Minister also reviewed preparations for the Teacher's Day function scheduled for 5th September, where outstanding teachers would be honoured for their contribution for providing quality education. He further discussed arrangements for the International Literacy Day function on 8th September, 2025 a historic occasion when Himachal would be declared a fully literate state. The Minister said this achievement marks the glorious journey of the state government's commitment towards education, continuous efforts of teachers and active participation of the community in spreading literacy. He said that if adverse weather conditions persist, the event would be organized in a symbolic manner to celebrate this proud milestone.

Other key agenda items included the promotion matters of School and College cadres, review of Rajiv Gandhi Model Day Boarding Schools, introduction of new subjects such as Fine Arts, Psychology, and Public Administration, as well as the inclusion of Horticulture as a vocational subject. He further directed that the transfer and deputation of teachers should be strictly on a need basis, ensuring that academic work in schools is not hampered. A comprehensive list of teachers on deputation was also to be compiled for better monitoring. Issues related to sports hostels were also reviewed and directions were given to explore the recruitment of more coaches, noting that Himachal has immense sporting talent which must be nurtured.

The Minister also reviewed the pending promotion matters. Officers apprised him that the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for the College Principal cadre has been scheduled for 4th September and that all formalities have been completed. He was further informed that other promotion processes are also being expedited and will be taken up shortly.

The Minister wished that the Education Department would continue its dedicated efforts to bring excellence in its work towards making Himachal Pradesh one of the top-performing states in education across the country.
Secretary Education Rakesh Kanwar also gave his valuable suggestions for strengthening the quality education in state.

Director of Higher Education Dr. Amarjeet K. Sharma presented the vote of thanks, while Director of School Education Ashish Kohli outlined the key priorities and challenges of the department. Project Director Samagra Shiksha Rajesh Sharma and others Senior officers of the Department were also present in the meeting.

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Government restoring telecom services on top priority

• 65 percent damaged sites made functional in Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti

Amid heavy rains, the State Government is working vigorously to restore vital telecommunication infrastructure across the State, which have suffered significant damages causing inconvenience to the public at large. Extensive damage was suffered by the Telecommunication Network in Chamba, Kullu & Lahaul-Spiti districts on 25th & 26th August 2025 due to torrential rains and the telecom services were badly hit in these districts due to devastation. As many as 65 percent damaged sites were made functional in these districts as on 2^nd September, 2025.

The intensity of the disaster was such that, according to the network outage report, out of total 1761 sites in district Chamba being operated by Airtel, Reliance Jio, BSNL and Vodafone Idea, 1155 (around 66%) sites were non-functional as on 27th August, 2025. This massive breakdown severely hampered communication and posed grave challenges to the emergency response and connectivity in the region. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the State Government under the directives of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, immediately initiated round the clock efforts to restore electricity supply and mobilized all telecom service providers to work on war footing for the restoration of the telecommunication services.

Principal Advisor, Information Technology and Innovation to Chief Minister Gokul Butail said that as on 2nd September, 2025, only 374 sites remain non-functional, indicating a 45% improvement in the network in Chamba district.

He said that, as far as Bharmour region is concerned, out of ten sites of BSNL, network has been restored on micro-wave connectivity at five sites and the rest of the sites will be restored very shortly. The work of OFC restoration is also likely to take almost a week. He said that the connectivity of Reliance Jio in Bharmour region was likely to be made functional by 6th September and the 2G services of Airtel have already been restored in the area.

Gokul Butail said that in Kullu district, out of 877 sites of Airtel telecom services, 84.9 percent were made functional as on 2^nd September, 2025, while out of 1173 sites, 65 percent Reliance Jio telecom services were functioning smoothly. He said that out of 391 sites of BSNL, about 20 percent telecom services are working normal. He said that in Lahaul-Spiti district, out of 63 sites of Airtel, 96.8 percent were made operational whereas out of 170 sites of Reliance Jio Services, 84.1 percent were functioning smoothly as on 2^nd September, 2025.