Chandigarh shivers at 6.5 °C, temps drop in Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh: Cold weather persisted in Punjab and Haryana on Friday, the meteorological department said. In Punjab, Pathankot was the coldest place as it shivered at 2.8 °C. Among other places, Amritsar’s minimum temperature was 6.9 °C, three degrees above normal. The weather office said Ludhiana recorded a low of 7.6 °C, one degree above normal. Patiala recorded 8.4 °C, followed by. 7 °C in Bathinda, 6.9 °C in Faridkot and 6.5 °C in Gurdaspur districts. Union Territory Chandigarh and the common capital of both states, recorded a low of 6.5 degrees Celsius. In neighbouring Haryana, Ambala’s minimum was 8.5 °C while Rohtak recorded 10.1 °C. Karnal recorded a low of 7 °C, 6 °C in Narnaul while Hisar, Bhiwani and Sirsa logged 7.4 °C each.
4000 Anganwadi Centers developed into sports-based education & nutrition centers: Hry Minister
Chandigarh, January 17- Haryana's Women and Child Development Minister Shruti Choudhry on Friday said that so far, 4,000 Anganwadi Centers in the state have been developed into sports-based education and nutrition centers. In the next five years, 10,000 Anganwadi Centers will be developed as Saksham Anganwadi Centers. Presiding over a meeting with department officials, the minister lauded the decision taken in the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. She said making women sarpanches brand ambassadors of their respective villages will strengthen the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this regard, the minister directed the officials to contact the concerned department and prepare a further roadmap.
Minister inaugurates memorial of first MLA of Ahirwal region Babu Mohar Singh
Chandigarh: Haryana Forest and Environment Minister Rao Narbir Singh on Friday said Babu Mohar Singh played an important role in promoting education in various districts of Haryana and was the father and pioneer of a revolution in education in the state. The Forest and Environment Minister said this during the inauguration of the newly constructed memorial of the first MLA of Ahirwal region, Babu Mohar Singh, at Government Senior Secondary School in Kanwali village of Rewari district. He said, “Our youth should contribute to the development of the country by following the path shown by such a pioneer of educational revolution, sharp politician, unbiased social worker and visionary thinker.”
Farmers must adopt natural farming techniques: Hry Agri Minister
Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana on Friday said excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is adversely affecting the land and the environment is also getting polluted. He said by adopting natural farming, we can improve the quality of the land. Naturally grown crops are more healthy and also fetch higher prices in the market. Rana was addressing a district-level workshop organized by the Agriculture Department in Radaur town of Yamunanagar district to make farmers aware about natural farming.
Hooda opposes increase in electricity rates in Hry
Chandigarh: Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday opposed the BJP Government’s decision to increase electricity prices. He said that BJP did not generate even a single unit of electricity, let alone setting up a new power plant during its entire tenure. Despite this, it is constantly increasing electricity rates. Whereas during the Congress rule in the state, 4 power plants and 1 nuclear power plant were established, yet Congress provided the cheapest electricity in the country to the people of Haryana, he added. Hooda further said that during its tenure, Congress had waived off bills worth Rs 1600 crore of electricity consumers, but BJP did not waive a single Rupee of theirs and on top of that, it is continuously collecting different types of money from consumers including fines, FSA, new meter charges. Now the government has issued an order to loot 84 lakh electricity consumers in the name of Fuel Surcharge Adjustment (FSA) by 47 paise per unit. Due to this, every consumer will have to pay Rs 94.47 more for 201 units of electricity consumption.
Himachal CM inaugurates Dharmshala city’s first solar power project
Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday inaugurated the first 750-kilowatt solar power project at Dharamshala in Kangra district, built at a cost of Rs. 4.74 crore. Spanning 8,500 square meters of land, this project will generate approximately 2,000 units of electricity daily, yielding a monthly income of Rs. 2.80 lakh. The construction work of the project was started in October, 2023 and was completed in November 2024. The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) has entered into an agreement to purchase electricity generated from this project. The project features 1,364 solar panels equipped with comprehensive safety measures, including lightning and fire protection, as well as an earthing and bonding system to ensure electrical safety. Sukhu said that the State Government was promoting green energy and working on a comprehensive strategy to harness solar energy. He said that seven solar power projects with a combined capacity of 72 megawatts would soon be allocated. Additionally, surveys and studies are underway for eight projects with a total capacity of 325 megawatts. He said that for the first time, the government was moving towards developing 200 panchayats as “Green Panchayats” by installing 200-kilowatt ground-mounted solar plants.