Shimla: With plans to open up a campus in India, the Middlesex University of London has proposed a tie-up with Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla for an exchange program of scholars. Speaking at a function here, Micheal Driscoll, vice-chancellor Middlesex University said, “both the University and the Institute would stand to gain from an [...]

Shimla: While the police struggle to enforce the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotic Substance (NDPS) Act in the state, photographer Amit Kanwar today trapped on camera this unknown man at work at Kufta Dhar near Shimla, rubbing marijuana leaves to extract the resin for making ‘dope’ or ‘charas’. Marijuana plants grow in abundance in the wild [...]

Shimla: After having hiked deposit rates, the Himachal Pradesh State Co-operative Bank (HPSCB) plans to increase its loan interest rates soon. Without disclosing what the hike rate was going to be, Rajinder Singh, managing director HPSCB said, “as our capital costs have gone up, our loan interest rates would soon be increased.” However he disclosed [...]

Shimla: To attract visitors during the hosting of Commonwealth Games, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) plans to announce a special package. Presiding over a board meeting late on Monday, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that HPTDC would be soon announcing a special package for attracting visitors from all over the world during the [...]

Shimla: To oversee sports promotion, the state government is contemplating setting up an HP Sports Authority under the chairmanship of the chief minister and involving the youth upto village level in the activities. Presiding over a State Sports Council meet, chief minister PK Dhumal said that the department authorities needed to study memorandum of such [...]

Shimla: Drawing up norms of minimum student strengths in schools, the government intends to close down 743 elementary schools that have a total strength of less than 10 students and intend to merge them with neighboring ones by providing distance allowance to the affected children. Making the disclosure at an ‘Education Conclave’ organised by the [...]

Shimla: The state got its first eye bank today with chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal inaugurating the new facility at Indira Gandhi Medical College today. Set up in collaboration with Eye Bank of Government Medical College, Chandigarh, at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, the hospital would be able to offer eye donation, processing, preservation [...]

Shimla: Hitting out at the centralization of education sector, BS Dohia, a distinguished educationalist and a former VC of Kurukshetra University said that under the guise of reforms carried out in education over the last two decades, the scenario is chaotic and the regulatory mechanism is in contradiction with the unfolding policy. Delivering a blunt [...]

Shimla: Bharti Airtel, today announced the launch of ‘Monsoon Dhamaka’ contest for its postpaid and prepaid customers in Himachal Pradesh. From participating in this contest – Airtel customers can get lucky and win from a wide range of exciting prices including a brand new Tata Nano as bumper prize, Rebook Sunglasses, and Benetton Wrist Watches [...]

Shimla: EMC Corporation, a leading company in information infrastructure solutions and National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur today inked and MoU to address emerging knowledge gaps in storage technologies and develop a pool of trained storage professionals. The agreement was signed by Krishna Kant, senior program manager with EMC’s Academic Alliance Program and IK Bhat, [...]

Shimla: The Himachal cabinet today decided to extend the externally funded Mid Himalayan Watershed Development Project to additional 102 panchayats spread over Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Una, Kullu, Chamba, Solan and Sirmour districts. Presided over by chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal the cabinet increased the coverage and now there would be a total of 704 panchayats [...]

Shimla: Retaining their fortress, Students Federation of India swept the students elections at Himachal Pradesh University winning all four seats on the panel. Out of the three city colleges, SFI candidates also won in two of them, which included an all girls college. At one college National Students Union of India (NSUI) panel was declared [...]

Shimla: For damages to fruit crops, the Agriculture Insurance Company of India has sanctioned Rs 3.37 crore under the crop insurance scheme for apple and mango growers, Narinder Bragta, horticulture minister stated. At the state government’s insistence, apple and mango had been brought under the crop insurance scheme on a pilot basis in 2009-10. The [...]

Shimla: With financial distress as a result of 13th Finance Commission recommendations showing, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has sort Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh’s intervention for providing Rs 1500 crore in the current financial year to bridge the gap for meeting committed liabilities of the state. Besides the amount needed for meeting current years requirements, [...]

Shimla: Financial mis-management at district levels is the highlight of a report on Sirmaur district by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that has done a district centric audit of one of most backward districts of the Himachal for the 2004-09 period. The report, which was laid in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, states, “ the [...]

Shimla: For participating in the ‘2nd Shimla Running and Living Half Marathon and More‘ the organizers have thrown open the registration. The run is scheduled to be held after the rains on 26th September, VC Pharka, principal secretary youth affairs and sports disclosed. Registration forms would be be available at The Ashiana Ridge, Himalayan Motoword [...]

Assembly Question Hour Shimla: While allegations about violations in restrictions of sale and purchase of agriculture land under HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 abound, the government in two years has detected 121 ‘alleged benami transactions’, annulled no such deal so far and has permitted land sale in 609 cases to non-Himachali’s, the Vidhan [...]

Shimla: With the opposition congress picking flaws in the bill for setting up an education regulatory commission, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal intervening in the debate ceded to the demand for referring it to a select committee for a threadbare discussion on the draft. With congress members Sukhvinder Sukku, Kaul Singh, GS Bali, Kuldeep Pathania [...]