Police uproot opium plants in Rajgarh

Solan: A special investigation team of the police uprooted 11,156 fully grown plants of opium and cannabis from the fields of Govind Singh at Dhanch Chukhdia village in Rajgarh tehsil of Sirmaur district. Sirmaur SP Ajay Krishan Sharma said the police team raided the fields of Govind Singh and uprooted and seized 522 opium plants and 468 poppy husk plants weighing 3.265 kg. Govind Singh was arrested and booked under the NDPS Act at Pajhota police station in Rajgarh. TNS

Course approval for private varsities

Shimla: Self-assessment forms had been sent to private universities for course approval and Thursday was the last date to submit the forms. The universities would give their presentations through video conferencing next week, following which the course approval would be granted, said Dr SP Katyal, member of Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission. Issues related to the probes being conducted by special investigation teams (SIT) and the police in three private universities would also be considered and discussed with the government before giving approval, he added. TNS

2 killed as car rolls down gorge

Shimla: Two persons were killed while three others were injured when their car fell into a gorge near Paudhar on the Rohru-Tikker road in Rohru subdivision Thursday afternoon. The vehicle carrying five persons was on its way from Ratnari to Bholar village in Jubbal when the driver lost control over it near Padhar. The police reached the spot and started rescue operations. Akshay Chauhan (23) died on the spot while driver Mitul Chauhan (34) died on the way to hospital. Injured Ujjwal Chauhan, Paras Chauhan and Puneet Chauhan were admitted to the Rohru Civil Hospital -- they all belong to Bholar village. The bodies were handed over to the bereaved families after postmortems. A case has been registered. TNS

Bali wants Covid fund details made public

Kangra: Former Transport Minister GS Bali suspects the Chief Minister's Relief Fund - Covid-19 is being misused. He has demanded that its transactions be made public and uploaded on the government website. He has said it is important to maintain transparency, as it is public money. Bali was addressing mediapersons at his residence here on Thursday. He said a Director-level officer had been arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. He expressed concern over the spike in Covid cases in the state. He asked the government about the availability of ventilators. He said if the government had placed any order to procure ventilators, it should be made public. OC

Rs1 crore relief to Tibetans in distress

Dharamsala: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has provided a financial relief of Rs 1 crore to Tibetans who are in distress due to the lockdown. A spokesperson for the CTA said that as Tibetans confront unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown, Sikyong Lobsang Sangay had on May 7 directed the Department of Home to allocate Covid-19 Emergency Support Funds to distressed and stranded Tibetans. The Department of Home has received 2,000 applications for the support fund through Tibetan settlement offices in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The one-time relief support of Rs 5,000 would be disbursed to one qualified applicant per family, he said. TNS

Assurance to heads of private schools

Shimla: The safety of children is of the utmost importance, said Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj during a video conference with the principals and management committees of private schools here on Thursday. He assured the heads of the private schools that a decision would be taken on their genuine demands soon. He directed the Deputy Directors of the Education Department to gather updated information of various government and private schools in their districts. Principal Secretary KK Pant said the objective of the meeting was to find a solution to the issues of private schools and take their suggestions. He said online education was an alternative and not a permanent arrangement. TNS

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