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Budget for the year 2013-14 presented by Virbhadra Singh main highlights
Every department in State Government will scrutinize it¡¦s Acts, Rules and Guidelines and suggest amendments to simplify the procedures and to make them citizen centric.
A State Commissioner (Public Grievances) to be appointed to monitor timely disposal of public grievances.
An Administrative Boundaries Re-organization Commission¡¨ will be set up for re-organization of boundaries of administrative units of various departments.
A State Innovation Fund to be set up with an initial outlay of Rs. 5 crore to encourage departments to try new initiatives.
Direct Benefit Transfer under all state scholarship and welfare schemes.
An outlay of Rs. 175 crore proposed for the state food subsidy scheme.
Annual plan outlay of Rs. 4100 crore proposed for 2013-14.
Each MLA to be given a budget of Rs. 2 lakh as discretionary grant fund.
Integrated Crop Diversification Programme¡¨ to be started to bring additional 3000 hectare area under vegetable cultivation.
Mukhyamantri Adarsh Krishi Gaon Yojna¡ under which 68 selected panchayats will be given a grant of Rs. 10 lakh each for agricultural infrastructure.
Production of mushroom will be treated as an agriculture activity.
Organic Certification Agency to be established to provide the facility of organic certification to the farmers in the state.
Seeds of high yielding variety of maize, paddy and fodder to be provided at 50% subsidy to the farmers for the coming kharif season.
Token tax exempted for tractors for agriculture purpose.
One Panchayat in each district which is completely free of stray animals to be given an award of Rs. 5 lakh.
Financial assistance to the NGOs/Trusts for setting up and running of Gaushalas for provision of cowsheds, fodder etc.
Procurement price of apple, mango, kinnow, malta and galgal to be increased by 50 paisa per KG.
Anti hail nets to horticulturists on 80% subsidy.
Procurement price of milk increased from the existing Rs. 17.80 to Rs. 18.80 per litre w.e.f. 1st April, 2013.
Rs. 1 crore 90 lakh to be provided for renovation of inland fish landing centres near reservoirs.
Six new monkey sterilization centres to be started.
New ICDP project for Shimla, Kangra and Kullu districts.
Housing Grant under Rajiv Awas Yojna and state housing schemes to be increased from Rs. 48500 to Rs. 75000.
Bi-monthly reimbursement of Rs.350 to be given to BDOs, Tehsildars, Naib Tehsildars and officers in charge of police stations, chowkis and fire stations for use of mobile phone.
Water supply at 70 LPCD to additional 2500 habitations, 2000 hand pumps to be installed during the next financial year.
High Powered Committee for speedy clearances of Hydro projects.
Rs. 270 crore to subsidise domestic consumers of electricity.
Rs. 75 crore equity contribution to HPSEBL.
Provision of Rs. 230 crore for payment of energy charges for lift irrigation and lift water supply schemes.
Three new state of the art industrial areas to be developed in district Una, Solan and Kangra.
Clearances for industrial projects to be made time bound and brought under Public Services Guarantee Act.
Concessional CST of 1.5% on the existing industrial units and 1% on new industrial units.
Rs. 10 crore to be provided for construction and upgradation of the Bus Stands at sub-divisions and blocks.
Grant and equity of Rs.160 crore to HRTC in 2013-14.
Facility of filing e-returns, e-declaration, e-tax payment and issue of C&F forms to be extended to registered dealers having annual turnover of Rs. 40 lakh and above.
Registration fee under the H.P. VAT Act, Central Sales Tax Act, Passenger & Good Tax Act and Luxury Tax Act to be abolished for the new dealers.
HP Traders Welfare Board to be revived.
9% VAT on all types of footwear.
VAT on aviation turbine fuel to be reduced from 5% to 1%.
New hotels in the backward panchayats to be exempted from payment of luxury tax for a period of 10 years.
Free travel facility to government school students for going to and coming from schools in HRTC buses w.e.f. 1st April, 2013.
Patients suffering from cancer and spinal injuries and those on dialysis to be provided free travel facility in HRTC buses along with one attendant.
Re-opening of schools denotified and closed by the previous government.
PTA grants to Lecturer School Cadre to be increased from Rs. 7250 to Rs. 10875, for the TGT from Rs. 6950 to Rs. 10425, and for C&V teachers from Rs. 6750 to Rs. 10125.
Smart classrooms to be started in 618 Government Senior Secondary Schools and 837 Govt. High Schools.
Vocational education in 100 new senior secondary schools.
5 thousand meritorious students of 10th and 12th class to be provided Net books/tablets under Rajiv Gandhi Digital Student Yojna.
Student of Himachal Pradesh who gets admission in IITs, IIMs or AIIMS to be given a cash incentive of Rs.75 thousand.
New ITIs will be opened in all the Vidhan Sabha constituencies without a government ITI.
New engineering college under RUSA in District Kangra.
Cash prize given to the outstanding players of the state to be doubled. Award money of Parshuram awardees to be enhanced from existing Rs. 50000 to Rs. 1 lakh.
Monthly incentive to be increased from Rs. 15000 to Rs. 25000 and from Rs. 25000 to Rs. 40000 to encourage PG doctors to opt for interior locations.
Higher Education Allowance for doctors acquiring PG Degree to be raised from Rs. 5000 to Rs.7000 PM and for those acquiring PG diploma from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3500 PM.
VAT on cigarette, cigar etc. to be increased from 18% to 36% and on bidis from 11% to 22%.
At least 20% women to be recruited at constable and Sub Inspector level.
Assistance given for remarriage of widows and inter caste marriage to be enhanced from Rs. 25000 to Rs. 50,000.
Mahila Kalyan Board¡¦ will be set up in the state.
Allocation of Rs. 1014 crore under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Rs. 369 crore under Tribal Sub-Plan.
Social Security pension to be increased from Rs. 450 to Rs. 500 pm. Pensioners above 80 years of age will be given pension @ Rs. 1000 PM. All pending applications to be cleared.
Assistance under ¡¥Mukhya Mantri Kanya Daan Yojna¡¦, to be raised from Rs. 21000 to Rs. 25000 w.e.f. 1st April, 2013.
Ex-servicemen pension to be raised to Rs.500 per month from 1st April, 2013.
Amount of War Jagir to be increased from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3000.
Grant of uniform allowance to non-gazetted ranks of police to be doubled.
10 courts of Additional District and Session Judge and 2 courts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) will be set up in the State.
Skill Development Allowance¡¨ of Rs. 1000 per month to be given to 10+2 and above educated unemployed youth. This rate will be Rs. 1500 per month for persons with disabilities. Interest subvention of 4% to be given up to project cost of Rs.1.50 lakh.
State Skill Development Council¡¦ to be established.
2000 posts of teachers of different categories, 500 posts of data entry operators/computer operators, 500 posts of water guards, 500 posts of patwaris, 250 JEs/ surveyors, 200 forest guards, 200 posts of Panchayat sahayaks and 100 posts of nurses and all vacant posts of doctors to be filled up.
Winter allowance for employees in tribal and hard areas increased from Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 per month.
Fixed Medical allowance for employees and pensioners increased from Rs. 250 to Rs. 350 per month.
Contractual employees completing 6 years of service, Daily wage employees completing 7 years of service as on 31st March 2013 to be regularized as per norms.
Part timers including part time water carriers in the education department who complete 9 years of continuous service as on 31st March 2013 will be made daily wagers as per norms.
Financial assistance to the registered workers engaged in building and construction activities to be enhanced.
Solan—In a shocking incident on Monday, an 18-year-old youth, Pravesh, survived a vicious leopard attack in Sarli village of Arki subdivision. The teenager reportedly fought the leopard for nearly 12 minutes before breaking its jaw, killing the animal on the spot.
Quick Thinking Saved His Life
Pravesh told the media that he was walking from the fields to a nearby shop in the morning to fetch milk when the leopard, hidden in the crops, lunged at him. Noticing the leopard’s tail, he attempted to run but fell after a short distance. During the attack, he covered his neck with his hands to protect himself from fatal bites.
The teenager continued to struggle with the leopard, repeatedly attempting to put distance between himself and the predator. In a desperate move, he grabbed the leopard by its mouth, twisted its jaw, and broke it, killing the animal instantly. Pravesh sustained multiple injuries, including deep claw marks, and is currently receiving treatment at Arki Hospital. Police and forest department teams have launched an investigation into the incident.
Serious Allegations of HP Forest Department’s Negligence
One of Pravesh’s relatives accused the forest department of negligence, noting that similar attacks had occurred in the area previously.
Earlier, a leopard had attempted to attack a scooter rider, who managed to escape. The family said they had informed the forest department on March 6 about potential danger, but no concrete action was taken. Villagers waited for three hours for a forest team to arrive, but none came. When the Block Officer eventually visited, he reportedly told villagers to ensure their own safety. Requests for cages to capture the leopard were also denied, with officials asking for written complaints instead.
SHIMLA | 7 August 2025 –The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rainfall across Himachal Pradesh over the next two weeks, with isolated heavy to very heavy showers likely over the low hills, plains, and adjoining mid-hill regions. While the ongoing monsoon remains vital for agriculture, it also brings an elevated risk of localized flooding and landslides.
Week of August 8–14
Maximum temperatures will range from 22°C to 34°C, depending on elevation—22°C to 28°C in high hills, 26°C to 30°C in mid-hills, and up to 34°C in lower regions. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain near normal, between 12°C and 24°C. Cooler conditions may persist in districts like Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti.
Week of August 15–21
Similar rainfall patterns are expected to continue, with scattered heavy rain episodes. Temperature trends will remain stable, though slightly below-normal maximum temperatures are likely in parts of Lahaul-Spiti, Mandi, Kangra, and Kullu districts.
Outlook for Late August
Rainfall is expected to remain broadly normal, with region-specific variations. Districts such as Kinnaur, Shimla, and Sirmaur may see below-normal precipitation, while Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, and Solan are likely to receive above-average rainfall. Both maximum and minimum temperatures are forecast to stay close to seasonal norms.
Officials at the Meteorological Centre in Shimla have urged residents and local authorities to remain alert for sudden heavy downpours, which could disrupt road connectivity and trigger landslides—especially along vulnerable hillside routes. Past monsoon episodes have blocked key highways, including routes between Mandi and Kullu and near Banjar, underscoring the ongoing challenges in the region.
This advisory comes as Himachal Pradesh continues to face the dual pressures of sustaining its agriculture-dependent economy while managing the life and infrastructure risks posed by an active monsoon. Continued vigilance and preparedness remain crucial.
SHIMLA | 7 August 2025 –Himachal Pradesh continues to deal with the impacts of the 2025 monsoon season, reporting extensive property damage, loss of lives, and widespread disruptions across the state. According to the official reports from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the Department of Revenue, and the India Meteorological Department, from June 20 to August 6, 2025, heavy monsoon rains caused significant damage across multiple districts:
- Casualties: 199 deaths due to landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, lightning, electrocution, and accidents; 304 injuries reported.
- Property Loss: Extensive damage to houses (both pucca and kaccha), shops, factories, labor sheds, animal shelters, and substantial crop losses in agriculture and horticulture.
- Public Infrastructure: Over ₹1,900 crore in damages to roads (including PWD), power supply, health, education, fisheries, rural and urban development, and animal husbandry.
Most affected districts include Mandi, Kangra, and Hamirpur, with severe crop and infrastructure losses.
Additionally, 91 deaths occurred due to monsoon-related road accidents.
Public Utilities and Infrastructure Disruptions
The SEOC report dated August 7, 2025, highlights ongoing disruptions:
- Roads Blocked: About 493 major roads and 3 national highways (NH-305, NH-21, NH-05) remain blocked by landslides and floods.
- Power Supply: Disruption of 1,120 distribution transformers (DTRs).
- Water Supply: 245 water schemes affected, threatening access to potable water for communities.
Key blockages include NH-21 between Mandi and Kullu and NH-305 near Banjar and Jhed.
Weather Forecast and Warnings
The India Meteorological Department’s forecast valid from August 7, 2025, includes:
- Isolated heavy rainfall expected throughout the week.
- Thunderstorms and lightning predicted in isolated areas.
- Minimum temperatures near normal or slightly below.
- Maximum temperatures showing a moderate increase.
The public is urged to remain vigilant due to the risks of further landslides and flash floods.
Himachal Pradesh remains vulnerable as the monsoon season continues, with thousands affected by damage, displacement, and disruption of essential services. Authorities are continuing with rescue and recovery operations and are urging residents to stay alert to the ongoing adverse weather. This situation highlights the pressing need for enhanced infrastructure and disaster management strategies to mitigate monsoon-related risks.
Himachal’s LPG Supply Hit Amid Global Tensions, Likely to Affect Hospitality Industry
Himachal Teen Survives 12-Minute Leopard Attack, Kills Predator in Self-Defense
Weather Forecast for Himachal Pradesh For the Next Two Weeks
Monsoon 2025: Himachal Pradesh Suffers 199 Casualties, Over ₹1,905.50 Cr in Damages
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