SHIMLA -13th August, 2025
Chief Minister releases book 'Sanghrash Se Shikhar Tak'
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu released a book 'Sanghrash Se Shikhar Tak' written by Mamta Gupta of Solan district here today.
This book is a compilation of struggle stories of senior officers working in Himachal Pradesh and have achieved their positions despite adverse circumstances. The book reflects that individuals can attain success in their life in sheer of hard work, determination and commitment to serve the people.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that this book will be an inspiration for the youth to achieve their goals.
Writer and Headmistress of Government High School Kanah, Solan Mamta Gupta thanked the Chief Minister for releasing the book and said that this book dwelt upon untiring efforts made by the officers in accomplishing their mission.
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CM condoles demise of Havildar Arun Kumar ‘Lucky’
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has condoled the death of Havildar Arun Kumar 'Lucky' serving in Indian Army in Arunachal Pradesh. He belonged to village Chatara of Kutlehar assembly constituency in Una district.
The Chief Minister said that Havildar Arun Kumar served the Nation with dedication and devotion and his commitment to duty will be remembered by the people of the country.
He prayed to the Almighty to give peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.
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Deputy CM expresses grief over demise of Havildar Arun Kumar ‘Lucky’
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has expressed deep grief over the martyrdom of Havildar Arun Kumar ‘Lucky’ of Chatara village in Kutlehar Assembly Constituency of Una district, who laid down his life in the line of duty in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that Havildar Arun Kumar’s courage, service, and dedication to the nation will always be remembered and his supreme sacrifice will continue to inspire generations to come.
Mukesh Agnihotri prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.
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Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil administers oath against against drug abuse and illegal trafficking
Health and Family Welfare, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil administered oath under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan against drug abuse and illegal trafficking here today. During the programme, he administered the oath to 96 National Service Scheme Volunteers, National Cadet Corps and Scouts & Guides from Govt. Degree College Kotshhera, 20 students from Govt. Degree College Sanjauli, 13 students from Himachal Pradesh University's Department of Social Works, along with Secretariat officials, members of Gyan-Vigyan Samiti, office-bearers of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and officials of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, to make their district, state and country drug-free.
Dr. Shandil urged the youth, women, officials, employees and people of Himachal Pradesh to stay aware of the harmful effects of drugs, take active part in the campaign and show united commitment against drug abuse.
The Health Minister said that youth are the future of the state and the country, and only energetic youth can build a prosperous nation. Unfortunately, the trend of drug use has increased in society and it was becoming increasingly important to guide the youth in the right direction along with prevention and rehabilitation measures.
The Drug-Free India Campaign was launched by the Government of India five years ago to spread awareness about the harmful effects of drugs and has played a significant role in building a drug-free society. Last year over 5.75 lakh people were made aware of the dangers of drugs under the National Drug Prevention Campaign in the State. Awareness activities were carried out in 5,660 villages and 4,332 educational institutions, targeting adolescents, youth, women and the general public.
Dr. Shandil added that the state government has taken strict action against drugs. Two bills have been passed recently in the Assembly against drug abuse and related crime. These bills include provisions for death penalty, life imprisonment, fines up to Rs. 10 lakh, confiscation of property, rehabilitation, preventive education and livelihood support. Under the PIT NDPS Act, Himachal Pradesh Police has seized illegal property worth Rs. 42 crore, identified the property of 70 traffickers and detained 44 notorious drug peddlers, he added
The campaign is being actively run at the panchayat level to identify smugglers and consumers have been identified. A Special Task Force has been formed to focus on anti-drug operations and 13 police stations have been notified for the same.
Dr. Shandil said that a 100-bed, fully equipped, modern de-addiction center would be set up at Kotla Barog in district Sirmaur, with Rs. 5.34 crore already approved. The Directorate of ESOMSA is working with NITI Aayog, the National Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS Delhi and PGI Chandigarh to prepare a detailed State Action Plan for drug prevention.
He said that De-addiction and rehabilitation centres are already operational in the state - four for men in Kullu, Una, Hamirpur and Kangra districts, and one for women run by the Red Cross Society in District Kullu. For counseling of the youth, 108 new 'Disha' centres have been set up in health institutions. ASHA workers, doctors and psychiatrists are also being specially trained for this purpose.
The collective oath campaign under the Drug-Free India initiative is being held across the country from 1st August to 31st August, 2025. In Himachal Pradesh, students, women, employees and the general public will be encouraged to participate in large numbers. Various activities like seminars, webinars, competitions in schools and colleges, workshops, human chains, student rallies, flash mobs, street plays, marathons, walkathons, sports competitions and tree plantation drives would be organized to spread the message of staying away from drugs.
During the programme, all students, officials, employees and dignitaries scanned a QR code to take the pledge against drug abuse and illegal trafficking, and downloaded their certificates online. Others can also join the campaign by scanning the QR code and taking the pledge.
Director ESOMSA Sumit Khimta, Additional Director Dr. Bhawana and other senior officers were present on the occasion.
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Industries Minister addresses queries of bidder companies of Bulk Drug Park
While presiding over the over the 10th meeting of High Powered Committee (HPC) of Himachal Pradesh Bulk Drug Park Infrastructure Limited (HPBDPIL) here today Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan reviewed the actions taken on key decisions in ninth meeting of High Powered Committee.
Pre-bid queries related to the tender of designing, construction, supplying, erection, testing, and commissioning of the Common Steam which includes Turbine Power Generation and Steam Distribution Network, the value of which is Rs. 300.28 crore, were raised by various bidder companies that attended the meeting virtually and were addressed by the Committee.
The Industries Minister stated that the park aims to establish world-class, common infrastructure facilities, which will lower manufacturing costs, boost competitiveness and promote self-reliance in the pharmaceutical sector while generating employment opportunities. He emphasized the state government’s commitment to addressing investor concerns to ensure seamless project execution. With pre-bid queries now resolved, the bidding process is anticipated to progress swiftly.
Director Industries and MD-Cum-CEO of State Implementing Agency of Bulk Drug Park Dr. Yunus made a detailed presentation indicating recent development related to Bulk Drug Park.
Additional Chief Secretary Industries RD Nazeem, MD HPSIDC Richa Verma, Additional CEO Industries Tilak Raj Sharma and other senior officers of various stakeholder departments were also present in the meeting.
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A training workshop on Krishi Mapper application organized
An online meeting and training session on the 'Krishi Mapper' application, a digital platform developed by the Government of India for capturing the exact location of fields, orchard and assets through geo-tagging and geo-fencing, was organised under the chairmanship of Director Horticulture Vinay Singh, here today.
A spokesperson of the Horticulture Department informed that this application would support real-time monitoring for instant supervision of field activities and assessment of progress besides elimination of duplication of beneficiaries to ensure transparency. The application would be beneficial in maintaining the centralized digital database for maintaining integrated records of all horticulture and agriculture activities.
He said that the application is accessible as a mobile app and web portal, enabling data entry at the field level. The upcoming feature of the application would be capable to capture data even without network connectivity.
During the training session, emphasis was laid on the mandatory adoption of geo-tagging and geo-fencing for all components of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) schemes. Instructions were given for timely data uploading, creation of user IDs at departmental and field level and strict compliance to avoid stoppage of funds by the Government of India. It was also directed that no subsidy should be released without geo-tagging and geo-fencing and that all field officers should be given immediate training on user ID creation for effective implementation of Krishi Mapper.
The spokesperson said that the main features of Krishi Mapper are real-time monitoring, elimination of beneficiary duplication and the training and sensitization of field staff. Upcoming features include integration with the MIDH Suraksha portal, offline data entry facility and expansion of the application.