Himachal roadways to run Ayodhya-bound buses on six routes
Shimla: Plans are afoot to start Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus services to Ayodhya on six routes to facilitate the devotees in visiting the Ram temple, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Thursday. Addressing a press conference after chairing the 155th meeting of the Board of Directors of HRTC, Agnihotri, who also holds the transport portfolio, said though the route is very long, "we are negotiating with the state government concerned so that we can start the bus services". He also said the corporation will also start cashless ticketing system in their buses. "With this, the passengers will be able to pay via QR code, UPI, credit card, debit card and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). He said the corporation would purchase 2,932 buses in the next four years. He said the HRTC would also purchase 327 electric buses in the year 2024-25.
Punjab bags 2nd place in folk song, 3rd in folk dance in National Youth Festival
Chandigarh: In the 27th National Youth Festival organized by the Union Ministry of Youth and Sports at Nashik in Maharashtra, Punjab won second place in the folk song competition and third place in the folk dance competition. Punjab Youth Services Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Thursday congratulated the winning youth. A total 28 states and eight Union Territories participated in the event, in which 100 youth from Punjab participated in various competitions. Punjab’s Taranpreet Singh won second place in the folk song competition winning a cash prize of Rs one lakh, and the state’s Bhangra team won third place in the group folk dance getting a prize money of Rs 75,000.
Pb Agri Min orders to release over Rs 1-cr to sugarcane farmers
Chandigarh: Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday directed the Department officials to transfer Rs 1.05 crore into the bank accounts of sugarcane farmers from Sangrur area by Monday. Directions were also given to Sangrur Deputy Commissioner to ensure the release of pending payment of around Rs 6.95 crores from the Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill to farmers by the end of this month. The directions were issued by the Agriculture Minister during a meeting with Sangrur District Administration, management of M/s Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill, Dhuri, and the representatives of Ganna Kashatkar Sangharsh Committee, Dhuri. Lending sympathetic ear to the concerns of sugarcane farmers, Khudian also directed the Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal to ensure that the farmers should not face any hardship in selling their produce because of any unfair practice of slow purchase and lifting of the sugarcane crop.
PM interacts with a beneficiary from Rohtak during 'Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' program
Chandigarh: While virtually addressing the Nation during the 'Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' program on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Sandeep, a beneficiary from the Ajaib village in Rohtak district of Haryana and inquired if he was benefiting from the Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Responding to this, Sandeep informed that he and other farmers in his village are benefiting from this scheme. He also inquired about the ration card, on which, Sandeep shared that he has a ration card, and they get ration regularly without any difficulty.
Hry CM directs to prioritize Groundwater Recharging in villages with depleted water levels
Chandigarh: Taking a step towards water conservation and reducing the gap between water availability and demand in Haryana, positive results of the Biennial Water Action Plan (2023-2025) have started to show on the ground. The plan aimed to save 260,498 crore liters of water by December 2023, and it has successfully achieved 95 per cent of its goal, saving 248,702 crore liters of water. This information was shared during a meeting of the Haryana Water Resources Authority chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here in Chandigarh. During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed officers to prioritize implementing groundwater recharging plans in villages where the groundwater level is critically low. Similarly, areas facing recent water logging issues should be addressed first to expedite their recovery. He emphasized the need for swift action to meet the targeted water savings by March 2024.
Nano urea to be sprayed in farmers' fields through drone, registration required on portal
Chandigarh: Haryana Government has decided to ensure drone technology for spraying urea. Agriculture Department officers have been directed that this facility should reach every farmer's field. The government is making it easier for farmers to spray nano urea. In the state, 8.87 lakh farmers have been registered for the Kharif crop on the Meri Fasal-Mera Byora portal till August 2023-2024. 60.40 lakh acres of land of the state has been registered on the portal, said the government spokesperson. Government is promoting drone technology in the agricultural sector. Additionally, women are also being trained in drone technology. The government is preparing to make the spraying of Nano Urea available to farmers on a large scale. According to the spokesperson, farmers will have to pay a fee of Rs. 100 per acre for the spraying of urea through drones.
