-PTI/ India Today  As many as 22 people have died in flash floods and landslides in the state of Himachal Pradesh. At least 743 roads have been blocked due to unprecedented rainfall. * 22 people have died in landslides and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh * The maximum damage has been reported from Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts * 2 people were killed as boulders hit their car in Shimla's Theog on Friday Twenty two...

-The Tribune Grains sold at fair price shops unfit for eating: Consumers Palampur: In the absence of any checks, ‘substandard’ foodgrain, especially pulses, are being sold at fair price shops in Kangra district. The pulses have high moisture content and are not fit for human consumption. The state government supplies subsidised foodgrain to consumers through over 4,500 outlets, including fair price shops. Sources say that the commodities being supplied at the fair price...

-Down to Earth blog The ecology of Himachal Pradesh’s hydropower hub is too fragile for such projects “Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much about climate change. Today, we have no excuses,” Desmond Tutu, South African theologian, had said. The recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district brought back focus on how 40 per cent of the state is geologically ‘highly sensitive’, according to a report...

-India.Mongabay.com * Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of India ordered the demolition of a hotel structure built in 2006 under the garb of a bus stand and parking lot in Dharamshala. The High Court of Shimla has, more than once, asked the state to act against violations. * Dharamshala has witnessed rapid growth which has often spread into the forests. The state action, however, has been targeted towards small encroachments. The...

-Down to Earth More than a dozen organizations from the hill state have come together to highlight dangers of climate change, exacerbated by exploitation of land, forests and water The glacial disaster in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district has a strong message for the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh, which has a similar geography, topography and climate: To rethink the model of development being followed, particularly with regard to the exploitation of its hydroelectric...