Himachal CM meets Union Finance Minister, calls for increasing borrowing limit of state
He informed about the massive losses incurred due to recent heavy rains and flash-floods in the state and urged the Centre to provide assistance to the state, an official release said.
He also held detailed discussions about issues concerning the Ministry. Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena and Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister, Ram Subhag Singh, accompanied the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, the state continues to face loss of life and property in the monsoon season, with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirming a total of 98 fatalities between June 20 and July 13, 2025, across the state.
Of these, 57 deaths have been caused by rain-related disasters like landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 41 people have lost their lives in road accidents, as per the latest situation report issued at 10 am on Monday.
In addition to the human toll, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported widespread damage to essential public utilities, 208 roads remain blocked, including one national highway (NH-21 from Mandi to Kullu). And 139 Distribution Transformers (DTRs) have been disrupted and 745 water supply schemes are currently affected due to heavy rains and related damage. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
26 minutes ago
- Business Standard
'India's Deng Xiaoping': Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu on Rao's reforms
Describing former Prime Minister (PM) P V Narasimha Rao as 'India's Deng Xiaoping', Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said the economic reforms unveiled by the Rao-led minority government in 1991 were the reason India's coalition governments delivered better results than those with clear majorities. The Andhra CM is on a two-day visit to the national capital, where he is scheduled to meet PM Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and others. He met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. In his meetings with the PM and Union ministers, Naidu will seek the Centre's support for projects in his state, release of pending funds, the Polavaram–Banakacherla river-linking project, and issues related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) sources said. On Tuesday evening, Naidu delivered a lecture on 'The Life and Legacy of P V Narasimha Rao' at the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) in the national capital. His lecture was the sixth in the PMML-organised Prime Ministers Lecture Series. He described Rao as a 'true Telugu bidda', or Telugu son of the soil, who 'reshaped the destiny' of India, and said the Telugu community is proud of his contributions. Rao, who passed away in December 2004, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024. Referring to the recent controversy over some states accusing the Centre of imposing Hindi, Naidu said Rao had mastered 17 languages and serves as an inspiration in the current context. The Andhra CM said Rao, despite leading a minority government, accomplished the near-impossible task of forging consensus on economic reforms among socialists, communists, and capitalists alike. Naidu credited Rao's prime ministerial tenure, and subsequently that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for India's first-mover advantage in the information technology sector and for building world-class infrastructure, especially in roads and telecommunications. Naidu said that in 1978, when Deng launched China's economic reforms, both India and China were $140 billion economies, while the US economy was 15x larger at $2.3 trillion. Now, the US economy is only 1.5x bigger than China's, and more than 7x bigger than India's. 'They (China) are catching up (with the US). We are behind,' Naidu said, stressing that the journey from being the world's fourth- or third-largest economy to one of the top two will be much more challenging. Naidu said 2014 was a turning point in India's growth story, with the country getting Modi as PM, who has 'ushered in a new era of bold and decisive leadership'. He said the goal is not just to grow fast, but to grow fairly, where every citizen, every region, and every sector shares the fruit of progress. Citing World Bank data, he said India is among the top four most income-equal countries but stressed that the country still needs to become more equitable. He urged the top 10 per cent of India's wealthy to uplift the bottom 20 per cent, appealing to them to follow tech billionaire Bill Gates' example and 'give back to society'. On his vision for Andhra, Naidu spoke about his government's Quantum Valley initiative in Amaravati. He urged youth to join politics and said the TDP's parliamentary party is the youngest in the Lok Sabha. He also noted that TDP's representative in the Union Cabinet, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, is the youngest minister at the Centre. During his visit to Delhi, Naidu and Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy are also scheduled to attend a meeting on water issues being facilitated by the Centre on Wednesday. The Telangana government is expected to press the Centre to grant approvals and funds for its long-pending projects. It had earlier conveyed its objection to the Centre regarding Andhra's Banakacherla river-linking project, saying that it hurts Telangana's interests.
Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
New solar cell tech developed at IIT-Bombay a gamechanger: Union minister
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said that new solar cell technology developed at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) is a 'gamechanger' and urged industry players to invest in scaling up the project. In a major boost to works happening in solar energy sector at IIT-B, Joshi announced disbursement of fourth instalment of total funding of Rs 200 crore that was assured more than a decade ago to the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research & Education (NCPRE) — the umbrella body for various research projects in renewable energy sector at the institute. In the current phase of funding, which is expected to bring Rs.83 crore, it will be through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model as government is urging industry players to invest in scaling up the project, particularly the high-efficiency 2-terminal tandem solar cell using a perovskite-silicon combination, achieving about 30 per cent power conversion efficiency, which is significantly higher than the current 20 per cent. Talking about this innovation at the IIT Bombay, the Union minister who visited the NCPRE at IIT-B, said, 'It is a game-changer for India's solar energy future. This makes India a global leader in next-gen photovoltaics and by investing in such innovations, we are driving down the cost of solar energy, making it more accessible for all Indians.' Assuring continuous support from MNRE, Joshi emphasised the need of scaling up of this technology for commercial success. 'Private investment is crucial for large-scale technology development and some of the industry representatives present for the meeting today have shown great interest,' said Joshi. Prof Dinesh Kabra head of the team which has successfully engineered a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell (PSC) said that funding in this phase will be for scaling up of this technology at commercial wafer-size. Further it will be catalysing the support for the future pilot line through which commercialisation will be made possible. 'After having formed the 4-terminal (4T) tandem structure, with this renewed funding the team will now work on developing a 2-terminal tandem structure with support from the manufacturing partner,' he said. The Indian Express had reported about the major breakthrough in the Solar Energy Sector at the IIT Bombay. The semi-transparent perovskite solar cell (PSC) which is layered over a traditional silicon-based solar cell, forming a 4-terminal (4T) tandem structure enables a better energy conversion and durability, especially in India's heat-intensive conditions. Apart from boost in efficiency over conventional solar technology, it has potential to reduce the cost of solar power at around Re 1 per kwh compared with Rs 2.5-4 per unit now.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Energy security: Global crude oil prices have remained relatively stable, says Hardeep Singh Puri; India eyes geothermal push
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri (Pic credit- ANI) Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said that global crude oil prices have remained relatively stable despite persistent geopolitical tensions, suggesting that the world has sufficient energy resources to meet demand. 'There are many things that have an impact on crude prices. People say that if there is military conflict somewhere, it will have an impact, but there are many military conflicts, and prices are still between $65 and $70 per barrel,' Puri said on the sidelines of a national seminar on school education organised by the Council for Social Development, quoted ANI. 'My view is that there is enough energy available in the world. ' Puri's remarks come amid continued global uncertainty, with concerns over supply chains and energy inflation resurfacing in light of recent conflicts and climate events. The minister underlined India's growing engagement in global energy forums, pointing to the country's recent participation in the Opec seminar for the first time. 'It's basically a meeting of the Opec countries. Considering that we are now one of the largest consumers of crude oil in the world, it makes sense for us to be there,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Adamantina (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo Reflecting on his recent visit to Austria, Iceland, and Norway, Puri said India is actively looking to expand its clean energy footprint. During his stop in Iceland, he discussed geothermal cooperation with local companies. 'Iceland is very strong on geothermal, and we have ongoing collaborations with them. The advantage of going and talking to the private sector there is identifying future work that can be done,' Puri said. He also expressed a personal interest in integrating geothermal into India's broader energy mix and hinted at its potential inclusion in the India Energy Week platform. 'India Energy Week was launched three years ago and is now the second-largest global platform after ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi,' Puri said, the agency quoted. 'ADIPEC focuses on oil and gas, while we cover all forms of energy, including biofuels and green hydrogen. We intend to include geothermal energy as well.' Puri also cited recent milestones in domestic energy exploration. 'ONGC has drilled over 500 wells, the highest in the past 37 years,' he said, noting the financial risk involved in energy discovery. He referred to the example of Guyana, where 47 wells were drilled at $100 million each before a successful strike. 'We are digging more wells. I am only reporting to you the 18 wells on which, under our law, if somebody who is doing exploration and production finds some oil, they have to report to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons,' he said, reaffirming the regulatory safeguards in place to govern exploration activity in India. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
