WhatsApp hotline for Covid containment

Chamba: The district administration on Wednesday launched a mobile dashboard — Ask Syanu — on WhatsApp to monitor the data related to border management and other imperative issues for the containment of Covid-19. District Magistrate Vivek Bhatia told mediapersons that the all-in-one hotline WhatsApp portal had been developed to collect information and facilitate the availability of essential services, keep tabs on home-quarantined persons and look into law and order issues. He said it would offer ease of access through mobile devices, on the go, with critical date displayed at a glance. The initiative was aimed at connecting people with independent fact-checkers across the district. OC

Subsidised fingerlings of trout for fish farmers

Bharmour: The government will encourage fish farming under the Blue Revolution in Bharmour. A subsidy of 60 per cent on fingerlings of rainbow trout will be provided to fish farmers. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) PP Singh said here on Wednesday that under the special Central assistance, 1,500 rainbow trout fingerlings would be provided to six fish farmers for Rs 3,600. The fingerlings would be produced at the Thalla fish farm in Bharmour. Around 1.5 lakh fingerlings from this hatchery would be supplied to other fish farmers of the district, he added. OC

No change in curfew relaxation in Kangra: DC

Kangra: There will be no change in curfew relaxation hours in Kangra district; shops will open from 7 am to 2 pm only. Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati said on Wednesday that timings for morning walk and jogging would be from 5.30 am to 7 am as earlier. Wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing would be mandatory. Stamp vendors and document writers could work on every Monday and Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm. Land registration could be done from 10 am to 2 pm at tehsildar offices every day. Salons and beauty parlours could open after prescribed training from the notified authorities. All government and private offices would remain open and all Class III and IV employees would attend their offices on a rotation basis. OC

Ex-MLA from Theog dies of heart attack

Shimla: Rakesh Verma, a three-time former BJP MLA from Theog, died of a massive heart attack on Wenesday. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. Verma (57) shot into limelight when he defeated Congress stalwart Vidya Stokes as a BJP candidate in the 1993 Assembly poll. He won again in 2003 and 2007 as an independent candidate. He, however, lost the 2019 Assembly poll to CPM candidate Rakesh Verma. He suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared brought dead at the IGMC. He was a law graduate and practised for some time before joining politics. He also had real estate business. TNS

CUHP students make masks

Kangra: Students and researchers of the Department of Sociology of Central University of Himachal Pradesh are studying online and motivating people to make masks. Dr Shreya Bakshi, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, said on Wednesday that sociology students and researchers from various districts were making masks in spare time. She added that Laxmi Parmar from Kullu; Premlata, Yogeshwari, Manisha Vasishtha, Deepika Thakur and Pingla Devi from Kangra; Shish Sharma, Harpinder Kaur, Shailaja Mehra, Payal, Kusum, Navita, Tamanna, Rachna, Rishabh, Jaswinder and Ravindra Parmar from Chamba; and Lobhi Ram, Ankit and Kiran Rana from Pangi were making masks and distributing these free of cost. OC

Rice to migrants free of cost

Shimla: The Central Government has allocated 2,864.45 MT of rice at 5 kg per person per month for two months (May and June) free of cost to migrants under the Atam Nirbhar Bharat package. The foodgrain will be distributed to those who are not covered under the National Food Security Act or any other state scheme. The estimated cost of Rs 10.67 crore for the scheme will be borne by the Union Government. The delivery of rice has started from May 18 and 135 MT rice has been released by the Food Corporation of India to the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation. All depots of the FCI in the state have sufficient stock of rice. TNS