SHIMLA-5^th October, 2025

Government to organise overseas recruitment drive at Hamirpur Polytechnic on 9 October 2025

In order to provide international employment opportunities to the youth of the State, the state government under the directions of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, would organise a special overseas recruitment drive on 9^th October 2025 at the Government Polytechnic, Hamirpur.

This recruitment drive would be conducted by the Himachal Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (HPSEDC) in collaboration with the Department of Labour & Employment, the Department of Technical Education and a recruitment agency registered with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the State Government was committed to make the youth of the state globally competitive and self-reliant. This drive would provide employment opportunities abroad in both technical and non-technical sectors.

The selection of eligible candidates will be carried out through the MEA-registered agency, ensuring transparency and credibility in the recruitment process.

All interested candidates from the State were requested to take advantage of this special opportunity and participate in the recruitment drive.
Detailed information regarding registration, eligibility criteria and required documents would be made available shortly at employment offices, their social media pages and on the HPSEDC website.

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Government purchases 2,123 quintals of Natural Wheat

Barley procurement in Pangi to begin from 8^th October

New initiatives launched to strengthen rural economy, Milk incentive and transport subsidy schemes introduced

The promise made by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to the people of the Pangi region in Chamba district is soon to be fulfilled. To promote natural farming, the state government will begin the procurement of naturally grown barley in Pangi from October 8. The state government has fixed a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs. 60 per kilogram for this barley. This is the first time such a government-supported procurement drive is taking place in this remote region, and the local farmers are highly enthusiastic about it.

According to a government spokesperson, all preparations for the procurement have been completed by the Agriculture Department. Five procurement centers have been set up across Pangi Valley at Hudan, Sechu, Sural, Killar and Sach. So far, 80 farmers of the Pangi region have registered with the department to benefit from this initiative.

Promoting natural farming remains a key priority for the state government, which has already completed the procurement of naturally grown wheat from across Himachal Pradesh. Through 22 procurement centers, a total of 2,123.587 quintals of wheat has been purchased from 838 farmers. The procured wheat is being processed into flour and porridge and will be marketed under the ‘Him-Bhog’ brand. Farmers have been paid Rs. 1.27 crore for their produce, along with an additional Rs. 4.15 lakh as transport subsidy.

The spokesperson added that the government was committed to encouraging naturally grown produce by offering MSPs for different crops, Rs. 60 per kg for wheat, Rs. 40 for maize, Rs. 90 for raw turmeric, and Rs. 60 for barley. This initiative not only ensures chemical-free food products for consumers but also guarantees better prices for farmers cultivating through natural methods.

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that the present State government was dedicated to strengthening the rural economy and putting money directly into the hands of villagers. To achieve this, the government has launched two new initiatives, the Milk Incentive Scheme and the Transport Subsidy Scheme, starting in the Arki Assembly constituency of Solan district. Under the Milk Incentive Scheme, farmers associated with registered milk cooperative societies will receive an incentive of Rs. 3 per litre, while under the Transport Subsidy Scheme, private milk societies will also receive Rs. 3 per litre as financial assistance for milk collection and transportation.

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Feature-Digital drive transforms Public Distribution System in Himachal

• eKYC brings transparency and efficiency in welfare delivery

Shimla, 5^th Oct., 2025The State Government has taken a big step to make its Public Distribution System (PDS) more efficient and transparent by adopting the e-KYC process. This system links Aadhaar numbers with ration cards to make sure that government benefits reach only those who truly deserve them. It helps remove fake or ineligible names from the list, ensuring that subsidized food grains and other benefits go to genuine families. The e-KYC drive began in May 2022 and plays a key role in improving how resources are used across the state.

At first, from May 2022 to January 2023, around 60 percent of PDS beneficiaries completed their e-KYC at Fair Price Shops (FPS). Due to a lack of funds, the process slowed down for a while. Later, the state’s technical team created its own e-KYC application, which was launched in July 2023. This made it easier for beneficiaries to complete e-KYC using Aadhaar-based fingerprint verification at FPS outlets.

From July 2023 to July 2024, the number of people who completed e-KYC increased to seventy-seven percent. However, many people living in remote and hilly areas faced problems, such as difficulty reaching FPS centers or fingerprint mismatches during verification.

To solve these issues, the government launched a mobile application that allowed beneficiaries to complete e-KYC through Aadhaar-based facial recognition. This made the process easier for those in far-off areas, as they no longer needed to visit FPS centers physically.

After the introduction of face authentication, e-KYC completion jumped from seventy-seven percent in July 2024 to ninety-seven percent by March 2025.

This Aadhaar-based verification system has transformed the Public Distribution System. It cleaned up beneficiary records, removed duplication, and made the process faster and more transparent. The success of e-KYC and face authentication shows how technology can ensure that every resource is used wisely and reaches the right people.