Himachal to announce potato support price soon: CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu
Highlighting health concerns, Sukhu pointed out that Himachal Pradesh has seen a significant rise in cancer cases, second only to north-eastern states. He suggested that changing food habits might be a key factor and stressed the need to investigate the root causes.Sukhu noted that 80% of the state's population relies on agriculture, which contributes 14% to Himachal's GDP. He expressed concern over changing weather patterns adversely affecting the sector and proposed solutions like climate-resilient agriculture, promotion of pulses, extensive animal husbandry, use of traditional seeds and emphasis on water security and soil conservation.He highlighted that crops grown through natural farming and traditional seeds are nutrient-rich and require less water, advocating for their revival and improvement through research to ensure nutritious food and a cleaner environment for future generations.advertisementThe Chief Minister also released a book documenting experiences in natural farming and commended farmers adopting this practice. He detailed the government's efforts to promote sustainable agriculture.Padma Shri Nek Ram Sharma briefed the Chief Minister on the conference, emphasising the importance of millets, water conservation, forests and land management. MLA Harish Janartha, Padma Shri Hariman, agriculture expert Dr. Sabyasachi Das, senior Agriculture Department officials, stakeholders and representatives from the agricultural university attended the event.
IN THIS STORY#Himachal Pradesh
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
First 'Made in India' semiconductor chip likely by December: MoS Jitin Prasada
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The first-ever ' Made in India semiconductor chips is expected to roll out of the assembly lines by the end of 2025, Jitin Prasada , Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, said."The first packaged chip is expected to be out by December, 2025," the Minister said in response to a questionnaire from ANI, besides underlining the status of India's nascent yet progressing semiconductor government has laid a pathway towards an India that will build chips for the world, aligned across the supply chain, from assembly/testing to design, and manufacturing to exports, the minister government has approved the Semicon India programme with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore for the development of the semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in the countryIt provides fiscal support of 50% of the project cost on pari-passu basis for setting up of Silicon Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) based Semiconductor Fabs in India, fiscal support of 50% of project cost on pari-passu basis for setting up of Display Fabs; fiscal support of 50% of the capital expenditure on pari-passu basis for setting up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics (SiPh) / Sensors (including Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) Fab/ Discrete Semiconductor Fab and Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) / Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities, the minister on date, the government has approved 10 semiconductor manufacturing projects with a cumulative investment of more than Rs 1.60 lakh crore in 6 states - Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh."The approved projects are under various phases of implementation and are expected to start commercial production in 1-5 year time frame," he said in his response, without getting into specifics of each projects, according to the minister, are expected to generate more than 29,000 direct jobs, depending on the maturity of factory to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing, and creating a semiconductor ecosystem in the country, the government has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US, European Union, Japan and manufacturing is a very complex and a Technology intensive sector which requires specialised skilled manpower. To address this, a new curriculum was introduced by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for VLSI Design and Technology, Integrated Circuit (IC) government is also shaping skilled manpower in the semiconductor design sector and providing EDA tools to design semiconductor chips, the minister said.A 'Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme' was also approved as part of the Semicon India Programme with an overall outlay of Rs 1000 Crore to nurture the entrepreneurship ecosystem by way of encouraging and supporting the design and deep tech start-ups involved in the semiconductor design ecosystem in the country."So far, 72 design companies (including start-ups and MSMEs) have been approved for semiconductor chip design infrastructure support under the DLI Scheme. Out of these, 23 companies have also been approved for P-DLI for developing semiconductor chip/ SoCs for applications in sectors such as automotive, mobility, computing, communications companies are developing semiconductor IP cores, chips, SoCs, and systems to serve the Indian market as an import substitute and for export to international markets," the minister another query regarding the progress made by the government on the AI mission front, the minister shared a status note, outlining the advances made in this emerging March 2024, the Government of India approved the IndiaAI Mission to build a precise and cohesive strategy for the AI ecosystem, catalysing AI innovation through strategic programs and partnerships across the public and private IndiaAI Mission comprises 7 pillars: IndiaAI Compute, IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, AIKosha, The IndiaAI Foundation Models, IndiaAI FutureSkills, IndiaAI Startup Financing, and Safe and Trusted Minister further apprised that India is also set to host the upcoming Artificial Intelligence (Al) Impact Summit in February 2026, focusing on the impact of AI on People, Planet, and Progress and is the fourth in a series of global AI group consultations with civil society, industry, startups, academia, and international organisations have been completed, along with a round of public consultation that concluded on June 30th. A call for proposals from organizations worldwide has been launched to host affiliated pre-summit events from August 11, 2025, to January 31, 2026, the minister further said.
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Relief for Abbas Ansari in hate speech case: Allahabad HC quashes ex-MLA's conviction; restores assembly membership
MLA Abbas Ansari (centre) was sentenced for two years in 2022 hate speech case NEW DELHI: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of Abbas Ansari, son of Mukhtar Ansari , in a 2022 hate speech case. As per news agency ANI, justice Samir Jain set aside the earlier order of a special MP/MLA court that had sentenced Abbas to two years' rigorous imprisonment. Abbas Ansari, the then MLA from Mau Sadar representing the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, was initially convicted by the special court in Mau on May 31, 2023. He had been found guilty under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups), 189 (threat to public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 171F (undue influence during elections) of the Indian Penal Code, and was also fined Rs 2,000. Following the conviction, Abbas moved the appellate court, which dismissed his challenge on July 5. Subsequently, he approached the Allahabad high court, which granted him relief by quashing the conviction. Abbas' election agent, Mansoor Ansari, who was present on stage during the speech, had also been convicted in the case and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. The controversy arose from a speech Abbas delivered during the 2022 assembly election campaign, where he allegedly warned government officials about the consequences if the Samajwadi Party came to power. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 11 Foods That Help In Healing Knee Pain Naturally Undo 'I have told Akhilesh bhaiya (former CM Akhilesh Yadav ) that after formation of the government, there will be no transfer or postings of bureaucrats for six months. First there will be hisab-kitab (scores to be settled), only then will transfer take place,' he was reported to have said. Abbas Ansari went on to win the 2022 assembly election from the Mau constituency with a margin of over 38,000 votes. (With agency inputs) Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Masterstroke in bad policy making': Priyank Kharge slams centre's blanket ban on online real money gaming; says ‘why the rush'
Priyank Kharge (ANI) NEW DELHI: Karnataka IT and biotechnology minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday criticised the Centre's blanket ban on online real money gaming (RMG), calling it "another masterstroke by Modi Sarkar in bad policy making. " Kharge, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, warned that the move would hurt state revenues, investment, and jobs, putting at risk over 2,000 gaming startups and more than two lakh positions in IT, AI, and design. "India earns Rs 20,000 crore annually from GST and income tax via online RMG. The ban means states lose this revenue stream," Kharge said through a post on X. The minister highlighted how an FDI of Rs 23,000 came in over the past 5 years, but shutting India's digital industry could drive global investors away. 'Ecosystem collapse: Rs 7,000 Cr spent annually on ads, data centres, sponsorships, cyber security will all be gone overnight,' Kharge said. Pointing out that the Supreme Court is still considering whether regulation lies with the Centre or the states, Kharge asked, 'why the rush to ban now?' He also urged the strict enforcement of IT Rules, 2021, saying, "a well-balanced regulation will ensure jobs, revenue, safer users, national security and global innovation." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Noting the 'unintended consequences' of the proposed blanket ban, Kharge said, 'Bans don't stop addiction or suicides. Instead, they push users to unregulated offshore platforms worth Rs 8.2 lakh Cr annually, where Government has no control at all.' The Online Gaming Bill, titled the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, was cleared by the cabinet and was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The government termed it a move that 'strikes a balanced path, encouraging innovation and youth engagement through safe and positive online gaming, while firmly prohibiting harmful online money games.' The bill seeks to boost e-sports and social online games while introducing a blanket ban on real-money gaming, betting, and gambling. It covers fantasy sports, poker, rummy, and online lotteries while also banning related ads and financial transactions. The definition does not include e-sports, which the government recognises as a legitimate competitive sport. The Bill imposes strict penalties where operators of illegal money gaming platforms could face up to three years in jail or fines of up to Rs 1 crore, advertising such platforms may bring two years' imprisonment or fines up to Rs 50 lakh, and financial institutions enabling related transactions could face similar penalties. Repeat offenders would be subject to harsher sentences and higher fines.
