Shimla, July 12 (IANS) The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh on Friday at a Cabinet meeting decided to withdraw the free electricity scheme benefitting all income-tax payers.
However, the 125-unit free power subsidy to domestic consumers will continue for all other categories, including BPL and IRDP families.
A decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu.
After remaining closed for a day due to shooting stones triggered by rains and snow between Ramsoo and Banihal, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been partially opened for vehicular traffic, officials said on Friday. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is the lifeline of the Kashmir Valley and the main road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, used by trucks laden with essential supplies and other vehicles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will be laying the foundation stone for the first phase of the 3,200 MW pit head green field thermal power project in Odisha being built by the integrated lignite/coal mining and power generation company NLC India Ltd, said a top company official. He also said the company plans a capital expenditure of about Rs 40,000 crore next fiscal and the lignite to methanol project is expected to be operational in 2027-28 and would produce 1,200 tonnes per day.
Unaccounted cash, gold, and silver worth nearly Rs 17 crore have been seized in Andhra Pradesh ahead of simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha. During the checking at different places, the police have seized the cash and other valuables in in Tirupati, Potti Sriramulu Nellore, and Kurnool districts since Thursday.
At least 24 workers of a factory sustained burn injuries after a massive fire broke out on Friday at a cosmetic product manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh's industrial hub Baddi in the state's Solan district. The fire incident happened at the 'Aroma Cosmetic' factory in Jharmajri village. Four of the injured individuals have been referred to the PGI in Chandigarh.
A joint team of the Chief Minister's flying squad and the drugs control department raided two cafes in Sector-53 on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday and nabbed three persons for allegedly serving hookah and narcotic substance to the customers, the police said on Friday. The suspects were arrested from Xero Degree Cafe and Imli Cafe located in the Central Plaza Mall in Sector-53.
The development came a day after radical village volunteers in Tengnoupal district asked the traders not to sell essential items, even water, to state police commandos, who mostly belong to the Meitei community. A police officer in Imphal said that the armed attackers hijacked the water tanker on Thursday and freed the driver in the night, while the ill-fated vehicle remained traceless till late on Friday night.