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Himachal Smart Meter Row: Bagga Kiosk Owner Receives ₹82,059 Electricity Bill

Himachal Pradesh Smart Meter Row: Bagga Kiosk Owner Receives ₹82,059 Electricity Bill

What was meant to modernise electricity billing has instead left a 75-year-old kiosk owner in shock after he received a...

Om Birla to Attend Tarique Rahman Swearing-In in Dhaka on February 17

World News22 minutes ago

Om Birla to Attend Tarique Rahman Swearing-In in Dhaka on February 17

Marco Rubio Says India Committed to Stop Buying Additional Russian Oil

World News29 minutes ago

Marco Rubio Says India Committed to Stop Buying Additional Russian Oil

Himachal Pradesh News

Himachal Pradesh News53 minutes ago

Himachal Pradesh Budget Session 2026 May Be Extended, Says Speaker; 125 Questions Submitted

Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Kuldeep Pathania, on Sunday indicated that the upcoming Budget session, commencing Monday, could...

Release salary of outsourced staff by 7th every month: Sukhu directs HPSEDC

Himachal Pradesh News1 hour ago

Himachal Pradesh Budget Session 2026: Revenue Deficit Grant Row Likely to Dominate Assembly Proceedings

Viral videos of indecent tourist behaviour in Manali, Shimla spark outrage; debate on decorum at Himachal hill stations

Himachal Weather News17 hours ago

Himachal Pradesh Weather Update: Fresh Snowfall Forecast for Feb 17–18 in Higher Reaches

BJP on a sticky wicket on Himachal RDG issue after walking out from all-party meeting The BJP’s walkout from the all-party meeting after dithering to take a clear stand on extending support to the state government on the issue of the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) has placed it on a sticky wicket in Himachal. The BJP is finding it very difficult to defend the discontinuation of the RDG and clearly spell out its stand on the issue, which is gaining political hues. Incidentally, the BJP had also skipped the presentation on the state’s finances made by the Finance Department on February 8, though all Opposition MLAs had been invited. The BJP’s walkout on Friday after failing to clarify its stand on the issue of the impact of the discontinuation of the RDG, as recommended by the 16th Finance Commission, has puts it in a quandary. In fact, its walkout from the meeting has defeated the very purpose for which it had been convened as it has 28 MLAs in a House of 68. Though BJP leaders, including state party president Rajeev Bindal and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur along with senior MLAs, did arrive to attend the meeting, their abrupt departure has invited criticism. “We are caught in a catch 22 situation as by agreeing to stand with the state government on the RDG issue we will be seen going against our own BJP government at the Centre. If we do not support the demand for the continuation of the RDG, we will be labelled as anti-Himachal,” admitted a BJP legislator. The BJP was caught in a similar situation when it faced the dilemma of supporting a resolution passed by the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, seeking liberal financial assistance from the Central Government in the wake of the monsoon disaster in 2023 when Kullu, Shimla and Chamba districts suffered widespread destruction and loss of lives. Till date, the BJP has no answers for its stand as it had left the House before the resolution was passed. The Congress has also been trying to build public opinion and seek sympathy on the ground that the Central Government has been meting out a step-motherly treatment to Himachal having a non-BJP government. The state is yet to receive the grant of Rs 1,500 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mandi after the monsoon disaster on September 9, 2025. The BJP may have managed to evade spelling out its stand on joining hands with the state government in the all-party meeting but the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, commencing on February 16, will once again bring the spotlight on its position on the RDG issue. The political fallout of the BJP not supporting the RDG demand can make it tough for the opposition party to defend its stand, notwithstanding its argument that the Central Government has given liberal assistance to Himachal under various schemes for road, bridges, water and power supply projects and other welfare measures. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on the other hand, has clearly said that the RDG issue does not concern the state government, the Congress or the BJP but every citizen of the state. He has sought cooperation from all political parties, especially the BJP, and said that he is willing to meet the Prime Minister under the leadership of BJP leaders to seek the continuation of the RDG. The BJP’s argument that Himachal is one of the 17 states where the RDG is being discontinued is not getting a positive response from the public, as the hill state has limited revenue generation sectors and severe geographical constraints and hence cannot be equated with other states. Moreover, the devastation caused by unprecedented monsoonal heavy rains in 2023 and 2025 has burdened the Himachal Government with the arduous task of undertaking massive restoration work, especially of roads and bridges. Himachal has so far been provided a little over Rs 2,000 crore against the Rs 9000-crore Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) sent to the Central Government. The catastrophe during the monsoon last year had wiped out villages in the Seraj area of Mandi and claimed several lives but still Himachal has not been extended a special financial assistance, other than routine funds that are allocated to every state for disaster management. It remains to be seen whether the Central Government will accede to the demand of Himachal to either continue the RDG or provide financial assistance in some other form but the ground is set for a political battle on the issue.

Himachal Pradesh News18 hours ago

Himachal Pradesh RDG Controversy: BJP Faces Heat After Walkout from All-Party Meeting

https://diarytimes.com/2026/02/15/himachal-pradesh-received-record-central-aid-but-funds-were-inefficiently-utilised-bjps-rajeev-bindal/

Himachal Pradesh News24 hours ago

Himachal Pradesh : Free Travel Schemes, Loss-Making Routes and Uneven Competition Behind Mounting HRTC Losses

Himachal Pradesh News1 day ago

Himachal Pradesh Received Record Central Aid but Funds Were Inefficiently Utilised: BJP’s Rajeev Bindal

CM Sukhu Asks BJP to Clarify Stand on ₹10,000-Crore RDG Discontinuation

Himachal Pradesh News1 day ago

Himachal Prasdesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Asks BJP to Clarify Stand on ₹10,000-Crore RDG Discontinuation

Himachal Pradesh News2 days ago

Himachal Pradesh : ‘Major’ Drug Supplier Arrested Near India–Nepal Border; Shimla Police Crack Down on Six Peddlers

Mandi News2 days ago

300+ CCTV Cameras, Drones to Keep Vigil During Mandi International Maha Shivratri

More Himachal Pradesh News

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National News1 hour ago

Shrey Awasthi to Attend South Asia’s First-Ever AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi; Expresses Gratitude to Jitin Prasada & Major Vijay Singh Mankotia

In a historic achievement for India, the AI Impact Summit 2026, being hosted in New Delhi, marks South Asia’s first...

National News3 days ago

Anurag Thakur Counters Rahul Gandhi ‘Dead Economy’ Remark, Calls India a ‘Dominating’ Global Force

Lok Sabha Uproar as Rahul Gandhi’s Attempt to Cite Ex-Army Chief Naravane’s Memoir Sparks National Security Row

National News2 weeks ago

Lok Sabha Uproar as Rahul Gandhi’s Attempt to Cite Ex-Army Chief Naravane’s Memoir Sparks National Security Row

Mamata confronts Delhi Police at Banga Bhawan, alleges harassment of Bengal families over SIR issue

National News2 weeks ago

Mamata Banerjee confronts Delhi Police at Banga Bhawan, alleges harassment of Bengal families over SIR issue

National News2 weeks ago

Union Budget 2026 : ‘Budget pushes Himachal into deeper financial turmoil’: Congress Deputy Chief Whip

National News2 weeks ago

Union Budget 2026 reflects PM Modi’s vision for a strong, self-reliant India: Shrey Awasthi

National News2 weeks ago

Union Budget 2026 : India’s defence budget rises sharply to Rs 7.84 lakh crore for 2026–27

Union Budget: Govt to set up three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to boost research and global outreach

National News2 weeks ago

Union Budget 2026 : Three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to be set up

Income tax law comes into force from April 1: FM Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Income Tax Act, 2025 would be implemented from April 1 and rules and tax returns forms would be notified shortly. Beginning April 1, the Income Tax Act, 2025, will come into force replacing the six-decade-old tax law and the changes made in tax laws in 2026-27 Budget will be incorporated in the new legislation. In her Budget speech in the Lok Sabha on Sunday, she said, “This (direct tax code) was completed in record time and the Income Tax Act 2025 will come into effect from first April 2026. The simplified income tax rules and forms will be notified shortly, giving adequate time to taxpayers to acquaint themselves with its requirements.” The forms had been redesigned, such that ordinary citizens could comply without difficulty, she added. The 2025 I-T law is revenue neutral with no change in tax rates. It has only made direct tax laws simple to understand and removed ambiguities, thereby reducing scope for litigations. It reduces text volume and sections by about 50 per cent vis-a-vis the 1961 Income Tax Act. The new law simplifies the tax timeline by doing away with the distinction between the assessment year and the previous year, replacing it with a single “tax year” framework. It also allows taxpayers to claim TDS refund even when ITRs are filed after deadlines, without any penal charges.

National News2 weeks ago

Union Budget 2026 : Income Tax Act, 2025 to take effect from April 1; simplified rules and forms soon: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

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National News

National News2 weeks ago

Mamata Banerjee confronts Delhi Police at Banga Bhawan, alleges harassment of Bengal families over SIR issue

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday confronted Delhi Police personnel deployed outside Banga Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, alleging that...