Shimla, Amid the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, the Himachal Pradesh government has provided a special relief to 5.69 lakh social security pensioners by making an advance payment of Rs 217.86 crore, officials said on Thursday.

The pension has been given for six months in advance for those settled in remote areas and three months to other beneficiaries.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said 68,000 people wanted to return to the state.

Also about 300 students would be arriving from Ukraine soon, he said, adding that all of them would be kept under institutional quarantine.

In a path breaking move, Akal Academies conducted the Terminal Exams of their students this week from classes 3rd onwards. Till this news report has been filed, around 30,000 students have already appeared for their assessments. This was preceded by intensive online classes for their students from 22 March 2020 onwards.

Shimla, The Himachal Pradesh government, here on Saturday, decided to relax curfew in morning hours (5.30 a.m. to 7 a.m.) from Sunday to help people take morning walk.

The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, held to review the coronavirus epidemic situation in the state.

Chandigarh, Authorities in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday said a decision is yet to be taken to reopen the shops providing non-essential goods and services across the state amid imposition of curfew as per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) latest order.

The order needs review and clearance at the high level as the state is under imposition of curfew, an official said.

Chandigarh, India may soon see a shortage of medicines as nearly 55 crucial pharmaceutical facilities that are part of Asia's largest pharmaceutical hub Baddi in Himachal Pradesh have closed their operations for nine days to contain the spread of coronavirus, trade insiders said on Monday.

Earlier, these units were operating at 25-30 per cent of capacity with in-house employees.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said that state-based pharmaceutical majors were manufacturing hydroxychloroquine to meet worldwide demand in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

He said that about 250 pharma units in Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh areas of the hill state had resumed production, with many manufacturing the said medicine.

The Chief Minister interacting with representatives of pha

Shimla, The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, on Tuesday decided to reduce salaries and honorariums of the Council of Ministers and legislators by 30 per cent for a year.

The money would be used to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 in the state.

Shimla, Four more members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who returned from the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh, taking their total number to 11.

A health official on Tuesday said with the four new cases, the total number of positive cases rose to 18. One patient has been discharged.

Shimla, A coronavirus positive patient spitting on someone will be booked on charge of attempt to murder, Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police S.R. Mardi said on Monday.

He said such an incident was reported from a hospital in the hill state.

"And in case any person gets infected thus and dies of COVID-19, a case of murder would be registered against the accused patient," he said in a video message to the media.