Dhumal hopes Anand Sharma will help Himachal

September 4th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh will be soon included in the National River Conservation Programme, an official statement said Friday. "The centre has agreed to include Himachal Pradesh in the National River Conservation Programme.

September 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Thursday urged the central government to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the hill state. Dhumal met union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal here Thursday and offered Rs.15 crore as the state's share and 100 acres of land and other necessary facilities for setting up the technology and business schools in Himachal Pradesh.

September 3rd, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Governor Prabha Rau and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Thursday expressed grief over the death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

July 21st, 2009 SHIMLA - Malaysia-based TJ Harmoni Worldwide is interested in investing in infrastructure and hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Tuesday. "Development of multi-level parking slots with Japanese technology is one of the projects that could be considered for allotting to the company on build-operate-own-transfer (BOOT) basis," he told reporters after meeting company officials, including its international project director S.M.

June 22nd, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has requested the central government to take steps to expand the railway network in the hill state. In a letter to Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee, Dhumal asked the railways to make provisions in its budget for 2009-10 for the construction of Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri, Ghanauli-Baddi, Nangal-Talwara and Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail lines.

June 11th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has requested the central government to consider the option of routing the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage in China through this hill state terming it more "convenient and shorter". In a missive to Union Minister for External Affairs S.M.

June 4th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh will be connected to the gas pipeline by next year, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Thursday. "The industrial hub of the state, the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area, would be connected with the gas pipeline in the first phase through Nangal town of Punjab where the laying of pipeline is in progress," he told reporters after meeting Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board of India chairman Lalit Mansingh.

May 22nd, 2009 SHIMLA - Congress leaders in Himachal Pradesh have welcomed the induction of Anand Sharma, who earlier was a minister of state for external affairs and also held independent charge of the information and broadcasting ministry, into the union cabinet. Sharma, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, belongs to Himachal Pradesh.

May 13th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh registered an over 58 percent voter turnout in its four Lok Sabha constituencies that went to the polls Wednesday. 'The elections in the four parliamentary constituencies of Himachal Pradesh concluded peacefully this (Wednesday) evening.

April 14th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Election Commission has asked the Himachal Pradesh chief minister and his cabinet colleagues not to participate in functions to celebrate the state's foundation day Wednesday in view of the model code of conduct. 'Chief Secretary Asha Swaroop would preside over the state-level (foundation day) function in Bilaspur district.

March 22nd, 2009 SHIMLA - Seeking an adjournment and failing to produce witnesses in defamation suits cost three senior Congress leaders dear in a Himachal Pradesh court Saturday. The three are Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anand Sharma, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress party treasurer Motilal Vora.

March 1st, 2009 SHIMLA - The Planning Commission has allocated Rs.27 billion for Himachal Pradesh for 2009-10, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Saturday. 'The annual plan for Himachal Pradesh has been fixed at Rs.2,700 crore (Rs.27 billion), which is Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion) more than last year,' Dhumal told reporters.

February 28th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh government has detected five cases of environmental violations by Jai Parkash Hydro Power and action is being taken against the power generation major, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Friday. The government would not allow the company to illegally dump sludge along a key highway, he added.

February 27th, 2009 SHIMLA - The central government has sanctioned over Rs.350 crore (Rs.3.5 billion) for the proposed Bhanuppali-Bilaspur railway line in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said in the state assembly Thursday. 'The Railways informed us (the government) yesterday that Rs.350.33 crore has been sanctioned for starting work on first 20-km stretch of the railway line,' Dhumal said while making a suo-motu statement.

February 16th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Tuesday said the central government has agreed to four-lane the national highway from Kalka in Haryana to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. 'The central government has approved in principle the four-laning of the national highway from Kalka to Shimla,' Dhumal told the state assembly.