Latest news with #HarshwardhanChauhan
Time of India
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Himachal industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan highlights corruption in panchayats of remote, tribal areas
Shimla: Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on Wednesday highlighted the massive corruption in village panchayats across the far-flung, hard and tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh, including his own legislative constituency of Shillai in Sirmaur district. "Corruption level is very high in panchayats of far-flung, hard areas and tribal blocks. Whether it is Sangrah, Shillai or Tilordhar in Sirmaur district or Chamba and other hard areas," said Chauhan. He claimed that in his own assembly constituency of Shillai, panchayat pradhans had even engaged in corruption amounting to Rs 90 lakh. Chauhan also pointed out that the blame for corruption was often placed on the panchayat pradhan, but these irregularities could not be executed without the connivance of panchayat employees such as panchayat secretaries, technical assistants, and the block junior engineer. "I also asked rural development minister Anirudh Singh that they should file criminal cases against such panchayat employees for irregularities like other govt employees," he said. The minister reasoned that the technical assistance was actually provided by the technical assistant and the block junior assistant, but they go scot-free. "We should immediately suspend such panchayat employees and thereafter terminate their services and initiate criminal action against them to send across a strong message against corruption," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2 BHK homes starting at ₹ 72.6 Lakh at Mahindra Happinest Tathawade . Mahindra Happinest Tathawade Get Quote Undo However, panchayat employees are only issued recovery notices, and after clearing their recoveries, these employees return to normal routine in the panchayats. Chauhan said he had been highlighting these issues even during the previous BJP govt in the state, both inside and outside Vidhan Sabha. Interacting with the mediapersons, he also assured that there would be strict action against the pradhan of Rampur Bharapur panchayat in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district, where a case had been highlighted in which the panchayat showed the transportation of tonnes of construction material, including cement, gravel, and sand, on a two-wheeler. MSID:: 123142686 413 |
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Debt-ridden Himachal turns to lottery to make a quick buck
Kullu: Cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh is trying its luck with lottery to turn its fortunes. The cabinet has allowed lottery operations that were shut down in 1999. Burdened by a Rs 1 lakh-crore debt, it hopes to make a modest Rs 50 to Rs 100 crore annually from sale of lottery tickets. The decision to reintroduce lottery in the mountain state after over a quarter century was taken in a cabinet meeting on July 31. The recommendation came from a cabinet sub-committee set up to give suggestions to boost state revenue. It seems to be inspired by other states that run lotteries. Neighbouring Punjab earned Rs 235 crore through sale of lottery tickets during the 2024-25 fiscal, while the tiny state of Sikkim made Rs 30 crore during the same period. Kerala tops the list — the southern state earned a jaw-dropping Rs 13,582 crore last financial year. Himachal, which is finding it difficult to meet the expenses of rebuilding the damage caused by this year's landslides and flash floods, hopes to mop up some much-needed funds this way. "Many states earn through lotteries. You will be surprised to know how much Kerala earns. Himachal Pradesh govt has decided to restart the lottery system in the state after a recommendation was made by a Cabinet sub-committee," said industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like NRIs Living In Greece Are Eligible For INR 2 Lakh Monthly Pension. Invest 18K/Month Get Offer Undo "We will follow the tender process to run the lotteries in Himachal Pradesh just as other states do," added Chauhan. The decision to reintroduce lotteries in Himachal has come at a time when the state's debt stands at a back-breaking Rs 1,04,729 crore, and the per capita debt has reached Rs 1.17 lakh per head, the second highest after Arunachal Pradesh. To make the financial situation even worse, the revenue deficit grant (RDF), financial assistance from the Centre, has come down from Rs 6,258 crore in 2024 to Rs 3,257 crore in 2025, and the GST compensation has been stopped by the Union govt. Govt is expected to introduce the bill on lotteries in the monsoon session of assembly, beginning Aug 18. Himachal Pradesh had banned lotteries, both state-run and from outside the state, in 1999 under Sections 7, 8 & 9 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, during the tenure of chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The lottery decision has not gone down well with opposition BJP. Former CM and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticised the move, saying: "Lotteries were prohibited because they ruined families, homes were auctioned, and people were driven to suicide." Lotteries are legal in 13 states — Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Assam. MSID:: 123044952 413 |
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
26 years after shutting down lotteries, cash-strapped Himachal makes U-turn
KULLU: Cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh is trying its luck with lottery to turn its fortunes. The cabinet has allowed lottery operations, which were shut down in 1999. Burdened with a debt of over Rs 1 lakh crore, it hopes to make a modest Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore annually from sale of lottery tickets. The decision to reintroduce lotteries after over a quarter century was taken in a cabinet meeting on July 31. The recommendation came from a cabinet sub-committee set up to give suggestions to boost state revenue. The move seems to be inspired by other states that run lotteries. Neighbouring Punjab earned Rs 235 crore through sale of lottery tickets during the 2024-25 fiscal while the tiny state of Sikkim made Rs 30 crore. Kerala tops the list - the southern state earned a jaw-dropping Rs 13,582 crore last fiscal. Himachal, which is finding it difficult to meet the expenses of rebuilding the damage caused by this year's landslides and flash floods, hopes to mop up some much-needed funds this way. "Many states earn through lotteries. You will be surprised to know how much Kerala earns. Himachal Pradesh govt has decided to restart the lottery system after a recommendation was made by a cabinet sub-committee," said industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo by Taboola by Taboola "We will follow the tender process to run lotteries in Himachal Pradesh, just as other states do." The decision to reintroduce lotteries in Himachal has come at a time when the state's debt stands at a back-breaking Rs 1,04,729 crore, and the per capita debt has reached Rs 1.17 lakh, the second highest after Arunachal Pradesh. To make the financial situation even worse, the revenue deficit grant, financial assistance from the Centre, has come down from Rs 6,258 crore in 2024 to Rs 3,257 crore in 2025, and GST compensation has been stopped by the Union govt. Govt is expected to introduce the bill on lotteries in the monsoon session of assembly, beginning Aug banned lotteries, both state-run and from outside, in 1999 during Prem Kumar Dhumal's tenure as chief minister. Lotteries are legal in 13 states - Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Bengal, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Assam.
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Himachal Pradesh govenor Shiv Pratap Shukla to soon get Rs 92-lakh Mercedes, as cabinet gives nod
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Thursday gave the nod for the purchase of a Mercedes Benz car worth Rs 92 lakh for governor . Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the governor's existing car was over five years old. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per protocol and norms, the governor's vehicle has to be changed after five years. The CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu cabinet's nod to buy the luxury car for the governor came on a day several other important decisions were taken by the cabinet. These decisions included introduction of other backward classes (OBC) reservation in upcoming polls to urban local bodies. The cabinet also approved the constitution of a backward classes commission to compile accurate data on the population of backward classes before the finalisation of the reservation roster. The cabinet recommended to governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to convene the monsoon session of the vidhan sabha from Aug 18 to Sep 2. Approval was also granted to a one-time relaxation of two years in the upper-age limit of candidates for the competitive exams of TGT and JBT posts, to be conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog. A decision was also taken to reserve one seat per course in all govt, govt-aided and private technical institutions, including ITIs, polytechnics, engineering, and pharmacy colleges, for orphans. The cabinet also gave its nod to initiate the operation of lotteries in the hill state.
News18
30-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Himachal Cabinet cancels 172 stalled hydro projects
Agency: Shimla, Jul 30 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday allowed cancellation of 172 small hydro projects of below 5 MW capacity under Himachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency (HIMURJA), where construction work had been stalled for an extended period. The state government will re-advertise these projects, as per the decision taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Also, it was decided to apply a uniform free power royalty of 12 per cent along with an additional one per cent for the Local Area Development Fund for all hydro projects up to 5 MW that will be allotted in the future. The Cabinet also gave its approval to cancel 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW, where implementation agreements have not been signed, previously allotted by the Directorate of Energy, a statement issued here said. A committee will be formed to negotiate with 14 project developers for an out-of-court settlement for the refund of the principal amount of upfront premium, without interest. The state cabinet has also given its approval for amendments to the existing Compassionate Employment Policy. As per the revised policy, the annual income eligibility criterion per family has been enhanced from Rs 2.50 to Rs 3 lakh. Besides, under compassionate appointments, priority will now be given to widows and parentless applicants below 45 years of age, as well as to the dependents of government officials who died while performing their duties. Additionally, in cases where vacancies under the existing five per cent quota for such appointments are unavailable, the Cabinet has permitted a one-time relaxation of this quota to ensure eligible applicants are accommodated. In another decision, the Cabinet has allowed engaging women workers in shops and commercial establishments to work in night shifts from 7 pm to 7 am to ensure gender equality. It was also decided to grant maternity benefits to every woman employee working in such establishments as prescribed under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. The Cabinet has decided to constitute a Cabinet Sub-Committee under the chairmanship of Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on the development of 300 acre Medical Device Park at Nalagarh. The Sub Committee has been asked to submit its report within two months. Nod was also given to amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2015. As per the revised provisions, contractors or agencies engaged in road cutting will now be permitted to use the generated material, during the de-siltation and maintenance of reservoir projects, for captive purposes. To facilitate the expansion of Kangra Airport, the Cabinet has granted a one-year extension, up to August 16, 2026, under Section 26 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for land acquisition proceedings, the statement added. PTI BPL HVA view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 20:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
