Q. Horticulture is your economy’s mainstay. Were you able to sustain production despite the pandemic? What steps are you taking to improve the situation?
A. At around Rs 4,500 crore, apple cultivation contributes significantly to our state’s economy and we did well last year despite the Covid restrictions. The challenge most orchard owners face is that once the apples reach the market, it creates a glut and prices crash. Apart from government agencies, we are working with the private sector to set up cold chain facilities and other infrastructure. We are expecting that these units will be commissioned next season onwards, and we will have the capacity to process the fruit as well. We are also assisting orchard owners to buy hailstorm safety nets by providing 80 per cent subsidy on it. Apart from this, we are supporting them in setting up solar fencing to keep away wild animals from their fruit trees.
Q. How badly was Himachal’s tourism industry hit by the two waves of Covid?
A. It was bad. The tourism revenue took a hit of around 75 per cent last year. But this year, with things opening up, revenue has revived by about 50 per cent. We are just keeping our fingers crossed. We had earlier relaxed restrictions on tourists vis-à-vis producing RT-PCR tests and vaccination certificates to enter the state. We witnessed a sudden rush of tourists but it also led to a surge in active cases. So, we had to put the restrictions back. We had also opened the educational institutions in the states from August 2 but had to shut them down again as well. We are focusing heavily on vaccination.
Q. What is the status of Covid vaccination in the state?
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Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
A NEW LEASE FOR OLD FILMS
NOSTALGIA AND CURIOSITY BRING AUDIENCES BACK TO THE THEATRES TO REVISIT MOVIES OF THE YESTERYEARS
