Haryana, Punjab reels under cold wave conditions
Chandigarh: There was no let-up in cold wave conditions sweeping Haryana and Punjab, with the minimum temperature at most places settling below normal limits on Saturday. Fog blanketed several parts of the two states, reducing visibility in the early hours of the morning. According to a meteorological department report, the mercury settled at a low of 2 degrees Celsius in Narnaul and Hisar in Haryana. Sirsa recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius, Bhiwani 5.2 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 4.4 degrees Celsius, Karnal 4.5 degrees Celsius and Ambala 5.4 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Bathinda and Gurdaspur recorded a low of 4 degrees Celsius. The mercury settled at 6.3 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana, 4.6 degrees Celsius in Patiala, 6.6 degrees Celsius in Amritsar and 6.1 degrees Celsius in Mohali. Chandigarh recorded a low of 5.7 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures have also dropped sharply in Haryana and Punjab over the past few days, settling within the range of 11 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius.
Himachal CEO urges candidates to submit election expenditure to ECI by Feb 21
Shimla: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Himachal Pradesh Manish Garg on Saturday urged all the contesting candidates who contested the assembly elections held recently to submit their election expenditure to the Election Commission of India (ECI) before February 21. He said that the Election Commission of India conducted general election to the State Assembly in December 2022 and as per the instructions, it is mandatory for all the candidates contesting the election to submit their election expenditure to the ECI within 75 days from the date of announcement of the results. The CEO said that a total of 412 candidates participated in these elections, for which counting was completed on December 8.
Veteran journalist N.S Parwana passes away; Hry CM condoles
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister has expressed heartfelt condolences on the demise of veteran journalist N S Parwana who was working with Ajit Samachar newspaper. In the message issued here, Khattar said that N.S Parwana was a very hardworking and intellectual journalist and made a valuable contribution to the field of journalism. Principal Secretary, Information, Public Relations and Languages Department Anurag Agarwal, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Director General of Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Dr. Amit Agrawal and Media Advisor to Chief Minister, Amit Arya also condoled the demise of N S Parwana. Punjab Information and Public Relations Minister Aman Arora also condoled the demise of the veteran journalist. During his distinguished career as a journalist, he had worked with various leading newspapers and will always be remembered for his immense contribution towards the field of journalism, said the Cabinet Minister.
Funds issued to meet any eventualities due to draught-like conditions in Himachal
Shimla: Due to delay in rain and snow, the drought-like situation is being witnessed in the State, and the Horticulture department is closely keeping an eye on the situation, a spokesperson said on Saturday. The district-level offices of the department have been issued funds to the tune of rupees one crore to deal with any such eventuality. The amount will be used to aid necessary materials such as plants, water tanks, pipes, medicines and micro-organisms to the farmers and horticulturists, after assessing the value of the loss, if any, said the spokesperson. The department has also issued necessary guidelines in this regard. The orchardists have been advised to completely stop the harvesting and pruning of fruit-bearing trees till the rains so that further losses can be avoided, he said.
Financial aid in case of death due to natural calamity to be released in 24 hours in Himachal
Shimla: An assistance of Rs 25,000 will be given to kin of the deceased within 24 hours in case of death due to natural calamity in Himachal Pradesh, an official order said on Saturday. Sudesh K Mokhta, Director-cum-Special Secretary (Revenue), said the step has been taken after sensing the plight of family members who have to run from pillar to post to get the ex gratia released. ''... a minimum amount of Rs 25,000 as notified in the relief manual in case of death due to natural calamity and Rs 5,000 in case of grievous injury will now be released immediately,'' a statement issued by the Himachal Pradesh government said. According to norms, a sum of Rs 4 lakh is provided in case of death, irrespective of the place of residence and nationality, provided the death has occurred within the state. However, Rs 25,000 will be released to the bereaved family members within 24 hours and the remaining amount will be released thereafter within four days, Mokhta added.
HAFED gives cheque of Rs 10 crore to Haryana CM
Chandigarh: The Haryana State Cooperative Society and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED) on Saturday gave a cheque amounting to Rs. 10 crores for the Chief Minister Relief Fund. Cooperation Minister, Banwari Lal along with Chairman, HAFED, Kailash Bhagat presented the cheque to the Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar. Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation Department, T.V.S.N Prasad and Managing Director, A. Sreenivas were present on this occasion.