Inaugurates Fire Sub-Station in Nadaun
Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a new Fire Sub-Station at Nadaun in Hamirpur district. The facility, equipped with two fire tenders, aims to enhance fire safety measures in the region, ensuring better control over fire incidents and providing timely assistance to the local population. He emphasized the state government’s commitment to strengthening fire services across the state, adding that it would be modernized and Rs. 19.40 crore would be released as the first installment for this purpose. He assured that there was no scarcity of funds for the modernization of the Fire department.
Sukhu also inspected the under-construction state-of-the-art multipurpose sports complex at Kharidi in Nadaun being developed with an outlay of Rs. 65 crore and would provide world-class infrastructure for sports enthusiasts. He directed the authorities concerned to expedite this construction work and highlighted the advanced features of the complex, which include an eight-lane swimming pool, a shooting range, and dedicated spaces for wrestling, boxing, Kabaddi, yoga, table tennis and badminton. He said that the government was focusing on promoting sports to channelize the energy of youth in a positive direction. “This sports complex will stand as a testament to our commitment to nurturing talent and fostering the physical and mental well-being of our young generation,” he said.
Efforts on to strengthen State Electricity Board
Sukhu also chaired a review meeting of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL), Energy Department and other undertakings and said that the state government was working towards making the Electricity Board more efficient and professional and innovative efforts were being made to strengthen its activities. It was informed in the meeting that the last date for completion of KYC process of consumers by the Board has been fixed as 15 February, 2025. The Chief Minister urged the affluent electricity consumers to voluntarily give up subsidy on electricity. He reviewed various activities of the Board and gave necessary directions. He also took detailed information about the power projects under construction in the State.
MLA Sanjay Awasthi, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, HPSEB Chairman Sanjay Gupta, Chief Minister's Secretary Rakesh Kanwar, Chief Minister's OSD Gopal Sharma and senior officers were present in the meeting.
Himachal Govt Signs MoU with AFD for Disaster Risk Reduction
Shimla: The State Government on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement the Himachal Pradesh-Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness Project (HP-DRRRP). The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena. The MoU was signed by Additional Secretary and Project Director, PMU Nishant Thakur on behalf of Government of Himachal Pradesh and Deputy Director for India Camille Severac represented AFD. The Chief Secretary said that HP-DRRRP was a flagship initiative of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA), aimed at reducing the vulnerability of the state to natural disasters. He said that with an external bilateral funding of 100 million Euros from AFD. This Project would focus on strengthening Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) capacities of the government and communities through a multi-sector and integrated approach.
Dense fog reduces visibility in Punjab, Haryana; Cold conditions persist
Chandigarh: A thick blanket of fog enveloped many areas of Punjab and Haryana on Friday, thus reducing visibility. Cold weather conditions continued to prevail in both the states with Fazilka being the coldest place as it recorded the minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius. There was zero visibility in Amritsar because of dense fog, as per a report of the meteorological department. Fog was also observed in Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Ambala, Hisar and Karnal. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius while Patiala’s minimum was 6.5 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana, Pathankot, Bathinda, Faridkot and Gurdaspur districts experienced cold weather conditions at 5.4, 4.2, 5.4, 5 and 5 degrees Celsius respectively. In Haryana, Ambala’s minimum was 7.4 degrees Celsius. Hisar, Karnal, Narnaul, Rohtak and Sirsa recorded their respective minimum temperatures of 4, 5, 3, 8.8 and 5 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh recorded a low of 6.8 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
Hry CM takes strict cognizance of MGNREGA discrepancies case in Kaithal
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini took a strict cognizance of the reports related to MGNREGA in Kaithal and directed immediate removal of ABPO, Sivan, and four Junior Engineers from their present postings. Besides this, the Chief Minister has also directed the senior officers to investigate the matter and take appropriate action as per rules if any discrepancies are found. An official spokesperson said that reports concerning corruption under MGNREGA in Kaithal district were published in certain newspapers. Taking serious notes of these media reports, the Chief Minister has ordered immediate removal of the ABPO, Sivan, and four Junior Engineers from Saraswati Heritage Division-3 from their present postings.
Lok Sabha Secretariat to develop short-term course for Hry Assembly employees
Chandigarh: On the suggestion of Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, the Lok Sabha Secretariat will prepare a short-term course to develop the skills of employees of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. On the basis of this course, the training of employees will be conducted in a more comprehensive manner in the future. Encouraged by the success of the two-day employee capacity building programme organized in Chandigarh for the employees of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Speaker Kalyan has planned to expand these training programmes. In this regard, he held a meeting with senior officials of the Lok Sabha Secretariat immediately after the programme. During the meeting, along with reviewing the programme, point-wise discussion was held to make it more comprehensive in future.
