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: The Heritage building of the Viceregal Lodge, now known as the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), is organizing an exhibition of rare photographs of the rooms and offices of the Viceregal Lodge collected from various sources. The IIAS plans to add to this collection of rare photographs of the Viceregal Lodge and organize [...]

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: 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 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 [...]

Shimla: Avantika Thakur, a 20 year old student of National Law School – Bangalore and who hails from Lahaul in Himachal has been selected to represent India at the 2010 Nkabom Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme. Avantika, an indigenous rights activist, is the sole representative from India for the program and was selected after beating stiff [...]

A weeks holiday for schools sought Shimla: Widespread rains battered the state overnight and much of the day before giving some respite towards the evening, causing much damage to roads and disrupting drinking water supply schemes. With life thrown out of gear and more rain forecast over the week, Communist Party of India (Marxists) (CPIM) [...]

Shimla: At least 37 people are feared dead and 25 others injured when a truck carrying about 65 people lost control on a straight road stretch at Hatnala under Balh police station and fell into a nallah in Mandi district, today. The truck was going from Shadyani village (about 30 Km form Mandi) to Gorkutta [...]

Shimla: With the Government – contract doctors stand off having failed to find a resolution, doctors today held a peaceful demonstration outside the Vidhan Sabha – which is meeting for a monsoon session, to highlight pay parity and other service conditions for them.

Shimla: On the eve of the week long monsoon session that starts on Tuesday (17.8.2010), it would be worthwhile to asses the working of our legislators in the previous session, which happened to be the 2010-11 budget session held in March-April, 2010. Information obtained under Right To Information (RTI) only partially revealed that the Himachal [...]

Shimla: Bad roads coupled with a shortage of trucks for transporting apple boxes in the growing belt has irked the Himachal Pradesh Fruit and Vegetable Growers Confederation who have condemned the government for its failure to ensure good roads and effectively monitor transport activity. Sanjay Chauhan, general secretary of the federation says that “growers are [...]

Shimla: To reduce litigation and litigation costs, Himachal Pradesh state legal services authority in collaboration with the 9 law colleges in the state intend to adopt one village in each of the 12 districts so as to make them litigation free entities within a year. Prime mover of the novel project, Chief Justice Kurian Joseph [...]

Shimla: Rich with incidents that marked important events in the history of the sub-continent, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal unveiled ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai, a coffee table book compiled by the tourism department that documents many heritage buildings and the historical importance they hold. Speaking on the occasion, Dhumal said that even before the [...]

The groups from Himalaya urge for ‘Zero Waste for Zero Warming’ Bir: 50 participants representing 24 organizations across the Himalayas assembled at Deer Park Institute in Bir, Himachal Pradesh from 5th to 8th August 2010 to discuss their concerns on climate change and waste, and decided to work together beyond borders to stop trashing Himalayas [...]

Shimla: With Indian investigating agencies having issued an Interpol questionnaire about the rightful ownership of a contentious George Cross Medal, the auction for which was called off by a London auction house in December 2009, a video has surfaced on YouTube claiming the medal was sold by owner Brahmi Devi and not stolen. Swedish national [...]

Pic: Transit campus of IIT Mandi where the inaugural session opens up on 9th August, 2010 Shimla: The number of IITs has doubled in the past year. Although mentoring by existing IITs is providing better starts, the newer IITs face big challenges. While the new Directors will immediately be recruiting core groups of faculty and [...]

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal greeted the people of Chamba district on Minjar Fair and wished them a happy and prosperous year ahead. He dedicated a new terminal building at Chamba Helipad constructed at a cost of Rs. 17.29 lakh and new building of Information and Public Relations Department at Hardaspura, constructed at a cost [...]

Shimla: A freak accident killed two persons and left another two injured when on a newly constructed defense bridge that had four loaded trucks parked on one side overturned the bridge itself, plunging the vehicles into the stream. The truckers who were moving on the Basantpur-Kingal road in Shimla district were carrying a load of [...]