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6th, April, 2022

Hamirpur set to be fruit bowl of Himachal Pradesh.
The district is ready to turn into a bowl of the state fruit that over 30,000 plants have been planted here.

The Department of Horticulture, under the HP Shiva Project, has planted 30,121 saplings of guava, litchi, sweet orange, lemon and pomegranate.

The department has identified Bhaleu and Kehdru villages for the first phase of the project and will bring 900 hectares under plantation.
Dr RL Sandhu, Deputy Director, Horticulture, says that in 54 clusters, farmers have been given high quality plants of various varieties and the plants have now attained the age of fruition. Over 21,000 plants of guava have been planted in Bhaleu village, while the 8,892 plants of orange have been planted in the Kehdaru village in the district.

In view of the immense potential of horticulture in low-lying areas with a hot climate, the Sub-tropical Horticulture, Irrigation and Value Addition Project (HP SHIVA) is an innovative initiative of the State Government for overall development of the horticulture sector and to make people self-reliant.
Under the project, horticulture development would be done on the basis of seed to market concept.
The goal of the project is to connect a maximum number of unemployed youth and women with horticulture. Assistance and facilities ranging from suitable saplings to mass marketing would be provided to the orchardist for developing new orchards.

Implemented in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank for a total cost of Rs. 975 crore, the government’s contribution in this project is Rs. 195 crore. So far, the Himachal government has provided Rs. 48.80 crore for the implementation of the project, out of which Rs. 37.31 crore has been spent.
The climate in the area is favorable for fruit orchards.

(Source: HP Tribune)

Earlier, the health card was made for one year at a cost of Rs 1,000 and Rs 365 for different categories.
Poor people were getting health cards for Rs 365 for one year, while others for Rs 1,000.
Under the Himcare scheme, the state government is giving health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh per year. Common people can avail of the health facility free of cost in government as well as private hospitals specified by the government.
The notification was issued in this regard on Tuesday.

Himcare health cards will now be made for three years at a cost of Rs 1,000 and Rs 365 in different categories specified by the government.
The card holders will get a health insurance of Rs 5 lakh every year for medical treatment.

(Source: HP Tribune)

Stress the laboratory-to-ground approach: DG.
Arun Sing Rawat, Director-General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, appreciated the research work being undertaken by the Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla (HFRI), especially the three important technologies developed by the institute.
Rawat, who is here on a two-day visit, stressed the need for making the stakeholders aware of the research technologies through trainings, an awareness program and TV and radio talks. “Research in isolation is of no use, there must be collaborative efforts and lab to land approach,” he remarked.
Dr SS Samant, Director, HFRI, briefed about the various research activities being undertaken in different research stations and in the field. He also briefed about important medicinal and research efforts made by the HFRI in Himachal Pradesh and union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Rawat also paid a visit to the Western Himalayan Temperate Arboretum, set up at Potters Hill near Summer Hill. He suggested that the arboretum, which houses 120 native tree species, should be strengthened further. On the occasion, the pamphlet designed for the arboretum was also unveiled. Dr RK Verma, Head of Office, and Dr Vaneet Jishtu, Scientist In-charge for the establishment of the arboretum, were present on the occasion.

ICFRE is the largest organisation responsible for forestry research in India. ICFRE was created in 1986, under the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests (India), to direct and manage research and education in forestry sector in India. ICFRE is headed by a Director General with headquarters at Dehradun.

The Himalayan Forest Research Institute is a Research institute situated in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. It works under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India.

(Source: HP Tribune)

Women representatives from several Panchayats, Mahila mandals and forest rights committees gathered today at Reckong Peo in Kinnaur district as part of an awareness program on the Forest Rights Act 2006.
The program was jointly organized by the Mahila Kalyan Parishad, the Zila Van Adhikar Samiti, Kinnaur, and the Himdhara Collective to discuss the importance of forest rights and inform the locals about the provisions of the law, especially the role of women in its implementation.

(Source: HP Tribune)