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Saturday - May 17, 2025
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08:54 PM
Saturday - May 17, 2025
Weather: 14°C
REGD.-HP-09-0015257
Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s re...
Himachal Erupts: Farmers and Apple Growers Protest...
Shimla, April 25: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder...
Shimla, May 17:Even as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the Forest Development Corporation to stop outsourcing work to private contractors and take direct charge of extracting nearly 10,000 stumps of cider wood, experts believe this is just the beginning of a long-overdue course correction.
For years, private contractors have called the shots in Himachal's forest-based operations—allegedly indulging in unfair practices, cornering profits, and undercutting the state’s potential revenue.
In a meeting of the Pricing Committee chaired by the CM, fresh rates for non-timber forest produce and royalty were also approved.
However, it was the decision to halt contractor dependence that stood out. Sukhu categorically told the Forest Corporation to prepare a roadmap for in-house extraction of cider stumps—aimed at curbing leakages and boosting transparency.
Despite the move, many in forest and environmental circles argue that the Forest Corporation has only scratched the surface.
“This decision was long pending. The state has been losing crores due to underreporting, mismanagement, and over-exploitation by private contractors. The question is—why now?” said a retired forest officer on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Forest Corporation presented a cheque of Rs. 41.30 crore to the CM, generated from silviculture felling of Khair and Saal trees.
While this is being projected as a success story, critics point out that if operations had been fully in public hands, the revenue could have been significantly higher.
Silviculture felling, cleared by the Apex Court, is said to be not just ecologically sound but also economically rewarding.
Yet the state's failure to build internal capacity and its overreliance on contractors has kept it from harnessing the full benefits.
The CM also emphasized fire preparedness ahead of peak summer, directing the forest department to involve local communities more actively and enhance survival rates of planted saplings.
He reviewed various forest schemes and stressed the timely disposal of salvage trees to prevent losses and improve revenues.
Present at the meeting were State Forest Development Corporation Vice-Chairman Kehar Singh Khachi, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) K.K. Pant, HoFF Samir Rastogi, MD Sanjay Sood, and other senior officials.
Cyber Fraud of ₹11.55 Cr Exposes Lax Security in HP State Cooperative Bank, Customers Fume
Cyber Police Station Shimla probing the breach; RBI halts transfer, bank under fire for delayed response and weak safeguards
Shimla, May 17: A massive cyber fraud of ₹11.55 crore has exposed serious flaws in the cyber security system of the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, sending shockwaves among account holders and triggering a full-fledged investigation by the Cyber Police Station in Shimla.
The fraud, which occurred on May 12, involved the hacking of over 20 bank accounts in a Chamba branch. But what’s more alarming is that the bank came to know about the breach only two days later, on May 14.
By then, the hackers had already attempted to siphon off the funds through multiple transactions.
Following the alert, the bank informed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which swiftly acted to halt the transfer of the stolen amount.
But the damage had been done — the breach has laid bare the weak digital armor of one of the state’s most trusted cooperative institutions.
As the probe deepens, sources say the bank is currently clueless about who the hackers are, how they managed to breach the system, and whether an insider may have been involved.
These unanswered questions have only added to the anxiety of customers and the credibility crisis facing the bank. Social media is ablaze with anger.
“How can such a vast sum be transferred without anyone noticing?
Was there no alert system in place? Or worse, was someone from inside helping the hackers?” asked a furious depositor from Chamba.
What the Chairperson and MD and so-called board of directors are doing ?
The management has stated that they are cooperating with investigators and that customer deposits are safe.
They also claim to be transitioning to a new, AI-enabled banking software system with enhanced security features.
But many argue that these measures should have been in place already, not introduced in damage control mode.
The bank now finds itself cornered with multiple questions demanding answers — who are the hackers? How did the breach go undetected for two days? Was any staff member involved? And most importantly, how secure are the other accounts?
For now, trust is the biggest casualty. The bank’s slow response, outdated cyber systems, and lack of clarity on the nature of the attack have left thousands of customers in a state of unease.
Until clear answers and solid reforms emerge, the shadow of this ₹11.55 crore fraud will continue to loom large.
Only One Caught, Many Slipping Through: UDF Slams NMC for Weak AEBAS Monitoring in Medical Colleges..
New Delhi/Shimla, May 16: In a strong-worded statement, the United Doctors Front (UDF) has slammed the National Medical Commission (NMC) for what it calls a "glaring failure in monitoring and auditing" biometric attendance fraud in medical colleges.
This comes after a recent RTI revealed that only one institute—Rawatpura Sarkar Institute in Chhattisgarh—has been held accountable for manipulating the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) using fake fingerprints.
UDF President Dr. Lakshya Mittal minced no words, calling it “alarming and disappointing” that only one institution was named despite widespread concerns in the medical fraternity about proxy attendance, fingerprint cloning, and biometric misuse.
"It is just one, but what about those private medical colleges in Himachal, Punjab, and Haryana? Are we to believe the rest are clean, or has the system simply failed to catch them?” questioned Dr. Mittal.
The UDF is now calling for a wider net and tighter scanning mechanism by the NMC. According to the doctors' body, the fact that no full list of defaulters has been released points to serious gaps in the regulatory and surveillance systems meant to uphold transparency in faculty attendance.
"The AEBAS was introduced to ensure accountability and honesty in medical education.
But if institutions can game the system using proxy biometrics and still go unchecked, it raises serious doubts about the intent and effectiveness of NMC’s monitoring," said Dr. Mittal.
While the NMC has begun rolling out a face-based AEBAS system—deemed harder to manipulate—UDF has expressed only “cautious optimism.” Full implementation is expected from May 1, 2025.
"Face recognition may reduce fraud, but without regular audits and transparent reporting, even this system can be misused. There needs to be a robust public mechanism to expose defaulters," UDF added.
The doctors’ body has urged both the NMC and the Union Ministry of Health to make audit reports public and hold institutions accountable.
It wants regular third-party checks, detailed RTI disclosures, and exemplary action against repeat offenders.
"It’s about safeguarding the future of healthcare in India. We can’t afford to let students train under systems soaked in unethical practices. This isn’t just academic fraud—it’s a national health risk," Dr. Mittal concluded.
As whispers grow louder about multiple private colleges across northern India indulging in similar practices, UDF’s demand for a full-scale crackdown may be the wake-up call the NMC cannot ignore any longer.
Shimla, May 16:
Newly appointed member of the Himachal Pradesh Private Education Institutions Regulatory Commission, Vijay Pal Singh, has officially assumed charge.
Supporters and well-wishers believe Singh, known for his clear vision and fiery commitment, will bring a new momentum to the commission's functioning.
He has sacrificed a lucrative corporate career and instead embraced politics, a legacy left behind by his father Prof Vir Singh Chauhan, a veteran of Mandi district to serve the people of Seraj, hos home Constituency.
But he also walks into a minefield of unresolved challenges—most notably, the unchecked growth of private coaching centres operating outside the commission’s purview.
According to education activists and concerned citizens, these coaching shops—especially in urban hubs like Shimla, Solan, and Kangra—have become parallel education empires, minting crores by luring students with guaranteed success in competitive exams like NEET, IIT-JEE, and NITs.
Many of these shops work in tandem with private schools that offer 'dummy admissions'—enrolling students only on paper while they attend full-time coaching elsewhere.
“The Regulatory Commission’s role is being crippled as these institutions don’t fall under its jurisdiction. This is not just a revenue loss for the state; it's a direct hit on the school education system,” said a former education officer who wished not to be named.
Sources within the education department say that bringing these coaching centres under regulatory control would require legislative amendments.
“There is an urgent need to expand the Regulatory Commission's mandate to include these commercial coaching setups. They are reshaping the academic landscape of Himachal, often at the cost of formal schooling,” an official said.
Vijay Pal Singh’s appointment has sparked hope among many education reformers who see in him a potential game-changer.
“He has the fire. He knows the ground reality. If anyone can take the bull by the horns, it’s Vijay Pal,” said a former principal and close aide.
Singh, in his brief interaction with the press, did not comment directly on the issue of coaching shops but assured that “strengthening transparency and accountability in private education will be his top priority.”
As the state grapples with a growing disconnect between formal education and commercial coaching, all eyes are now on the commission—and on Vijay Pal Singh—to restore balance in Himachal's education ecosystem.
By Kuldeep Chauhan, Editor-in-chief www.himbumail.com
SHIMLA/KULLU, May 16:
A full-blown people’s revolt has brewn across Himachal’s apple belt and tourism corridor in Devbhoomi —from Kullu to Lahaul-Spiti.
At the heart of the storm? A controversial railway survey by Turkish firm Yüksel Proje for the Bhanupalli–Bilaspur–Manali–Leh strategic rail line—a project now being called a “national blunder in the making” by locals.
Panchayats, Farmers, hoteliers, tribals, and civil society members have come together cutting across political lines to demand that the entire project be scrapped in its current form.
Their concern isn’t just emotional—it’s deeply strategic, economic, and environmental.
"This is not a railway, it's a ticking time bomb for Devbhoomi," thundered Ved Ram Thakur, Chief Advisor, Hotel Association Manali, and former head of the Pradhans’ Association.
“A Turkish firm, known for its proximity to Pakistan, is surveying one of India’s most sensitive Himalayan corridors. What are we thinking?”
The Turkish company, Yüksel Proje, in its own public documents, boasts of having designed over 120 river bridges, viaducts, and flyovers in the Himalayan stretch from Bilaspur to Leh—a terrain marked by steep slopes, seismic fragility, river scouring, and extreme weather.
“Seventy-meter-high piers, riverbed excavation, steel trusses launched with cantilever methods—do they even understand the soul of the Himalayas?” asked orchardist Lalit Singh Thakur, warning of mass deforestation, landslides, and the destruction of lakhs of apple trees.
“This is not Switzerland where you plug a viaduct and move on. One mistake and entire valleys vanish.”
And that’s not all. Advocate Rewat Rana cited national security threats: “The Turkish company has reportedly supported Pakistan’s terror proxies.
The recent exposure in Operation Sindoor and past attacks in Chamba’s Satrundi by infiltrators from Kishtwar show how porous and vulnerable this terrain is. We’re handing them a Google map of our borders!”
The fears are rooted in historical pain. Locals still remember how decades ago, terrorists infiltrated from Kishtwar into Chamba and massacred dozens of innocent villagers in Satrundi.
And today after Pahalgam Terror attack and what followed, that trauma echoes in Chamba, Lahaul’s frozen silence and Kullu’s rising rage.
“The line will gut our orchards, rip open sacred Devbhoomi lands and expose Devbhoomi, Ladakh, Lahaul and Chamba to new-age warfare—drone surveillance, cyber sabotage, and eco-terrorism,” warned Gyan Chand Thakur, a small apple farmer from Kullu.
“And all this while we are already gasping from loss of land to highways and crop failures.”
The project is already listed on the Turkish firm’s international website, showing advanced design techniques including top-down construction at riverbeds and foundations built deep into scouring-prone rivers—a direct hit on Himachal’s fragile hydrology and glacial systems.
What makes this more controversial is the lack of public consultation, as multiple Gram Panchayats across Kullu, Lahaul and Mandi have now passed resolutions opposing the project.
They’ve accused the Centre of ignoring local voices and treating strategic infrastructure like a construction contract.
“This isn’t just a protest—it’s a revolt,” said Ved Ram.
“If this survey isn't scrapped, and if Indian firms with Army backing don’t take over the design, the Centre will have Himachal’s wrath to answer for.”
The clincher? People now see this as a holy war to protect their deities, orchards, mountains, and borders. “Yeh Devbhoomi hai, deal ka playground nahi,” said Lalit Singh.
The Centre must now decide: Will it stand with Devbhoomi or with a foreign firm’s blueprint that might already be sitting in Beijing or Islamabad?
If one goes by the national sentiments and stance adopted by our strategists and strong political posturing by the Modi government at the centre, the hammer is already in its position only it is a matter of time.
#SaveDevbhoomi #RailwayOnEdge #AppleFarmersRise #HimalayasNotForSale #NationalSecurityFirst
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