The Centre has decided not to grant forest clearance (stage-I) to any project without examining the documentary evidence related to settlement of rights of affected families. The Forest Advisory Committee of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has made compliance to the provisions of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, mandatory for seeking clearance for projects.

The tribal areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and other higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh received another spell of moderate snow while rain lashed other areas. Keylong and Kalpa in tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur recorded 25 cm and 18.7 cm of snow while Rohtang Pass, Mari, Darcha, Kunzam and Saach and Chansel passes had 40 to 50 cm of snow.

MANALI: Fresh snow has blocked highways and snapped power in many areas of Kullu, Mandi and Lahaul & Spiti districts. Commuters and tourists are being forced to wade through blankets of snow, though snowplows have been in operation for long. There seems to be no end to the snow blizzard that has continued to grip the region, disrupting normal life. Thick snow has snapped most electricity lines and telephone cables.

Growers look for new markets in North-East
Shimla: Seed potato growers in the tribal Lahaul valley are looking for new markets in the North-East in the wake of a bumper crop in the state.

Total fertility rate dips in state, most urban families not going for children
Himachal Pradesh’s early exuberance over 12.81 per cent decline in the population growth rate, especially in the urban towns like Shimla reflected in the 2011 census data is, turning out to be a warning signal for the hill state, where more and more men and women are becoming infertile.

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Himachal Pradesh has dipped down to 1.3 in urban towns as compared to 2.6 in India even as some of the states such as Bihar have TFR as high as 4 in its rural areas.

In a major boost for the green warriors, an arm of the United Nations has granted registration to a project launched by the state government to facilitate farmers in 177 gram Panchayats to earn carbon credits by raising forest on their land.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) confirmed the registration of the project through an e-mail to the additional principal

Solang/Sissu : The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) today completed the first km of the world

The pre-implementation agreements (PIAs) signed by the government with independent power producers (IPPs) for execution of 15 hydroelectric projects, awarded recently through global bidding, indicate that generation will commence at the earliest only by 2021, provided all goes well.

All successful bidders who were awarded projects with an aggregate capacity of 1303.25 MW have deposited the firs

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