SHIMLA, 03.11.25
INVITATION
*Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri extending invitation to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to attend the marriage ceremony of his daughter to be taken place on 22nd November, 2025.
A CHEQUE OF RS.11 LAKH TOWARDS CHIEF MINISTER RELIF FUND
*Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu being presented a cheque of Rs. 11 lakh by Town & Country Planning and Housing Minister Rajesh Dharmani towards Chief Minister Relief Fund on behalf of HP Housing and Urban Development Authority at Shimla on 3rd November 2025. Vice Chairman, HIMUDA Yashwant Chhajta was also present on the occasion.
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CM announces rupees one crore to cricketer Renuka Thakur
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced rupees one crore prize money to international cricketer Renuka Thakur, who hails from Rohru area of Shimla district and was part of the World Champion Indian Women cricket team.
The Chief Minister also spoke to Renuka Thakur over the phone and congratulated the entire Indian squad for creating history by winning its maiden World Cup. He said that he himself watched the semi-final and final cricket matches of the Indian team which performed outstandingly in this event.
The State was proud of the feat of Renuka Thakur, who has brought laurels to the State globally, stated the Chief Minister. He expressed hope that girls would take inspiration from her excellent performance and dedication to achieve their goals. The Indian Women Cricket Team won the Women World Cup-2025 held at Mumbai last evening by beating the South Africa team.
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CM reviews HIMUDA projects, directs development of new townships near Chandigarh
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over a meeting of Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) to review various ongoing and proposed projects. He directed HIMUDA to explore the possibilities of developing new townships in proximity with Chandigarh to facilitate the people of the State and meet the growing housing demand.
He also reviewed the proposed Jathiya Devi Township near Shimla city and directed HIMUDA to appoint a consultant at the earliest to expedite the project. He said that Jathiya Devi Satellite town would play a vital role in decongesting the Shimla city and offer better amenities to the people. He was apprised that a blueprint of the satellite town has been prepared by the TATA Engineering Services Company keeping in view the aesthetic appeal of the area and ensuring world class facilities in the township.
The Chief Minister also assured to release Rs. 20 crore for the upcoming commercial complex at Vikasnagar in Shimla city to speed up the construction work. He said that this proposed complex will be one of the most modern buildings in the city housing government offices, shopping complex and other essential facilities.
Sh. Sukhu also reviewed various upcoming housing projects and directed to expedite to bring them on the ground across the State in a time bound manner for the benefit of the people of the State.
Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Vice Chairman HIMUDA Yashwant Chhajta, Additional Chief Secretary Revenue K.K. Pant, Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, HIMUDA Surender Vashisht, Director Town and Country Planning Hemis Negi and other senior officers also attended the meeting.
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A delegation of the Waqf Board led by its interim Chairman Nasir Ahmed Rawat called on Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
A delegation of the Waqf Board led by its interim Chairman Nasir Ahmed Rawat called on Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at Shimla today. It was a courtesy call. They thanked the Chief Minister for appointing Nasir as interim Chairman of the Board.
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State saves Rs. 6.72 crore annually by reducing electricity contract demand of government buildings
The Himachal Pradesh Government has achieved an annual saving of Rs. 6.72 crore by rationalising the Contract Demand (Load Capacity) of electricity connections provided to various government buildings across the State in the first phase. A total of 913 government electricity connections, covering categories such as agriculture, bulk supply, commercial supply, Jal shakti Vibhag, large industrial supply, non-domestic non-commercial, small industrial and temporary supply, were optimised, reducing total demand charges from Rs 2.05 crore to Rs 1.49 crore per month. This will result in substantial annual savings to the State exchequer.
For instance, the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Shimla, earlier had a contract demand of 1350 kVA, which was brought down to 858 kVA, saving about Rs. 24 lakh per year.
A state government spokesperson said that Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu observed that many departments were paying higher demand charges compared to their actual consumption. Acting on his directions, the HP State Electricity Board Ltd. (HPSEBL) carried out an extensive exercise to realign contract demand with the actual load capacity of departmental buildings.
As per the Chief Minister’s instructions, the process, normally carried out at the electrical sub-division level, was expedited under the supervision of the then Chief Secretary. A series of meetings between HPSEBL and departmental representatives led to a one-time, state-wide review coordinated by the Chief Electrical Inspector, who compiled a list of all government consumers.
The contract demand for each connection was capped at 10 percent above the maximum recorded demand observed during the previous year, accounting for both summer and winter peaks. A specially designed Application & Agreement (A&A) form was then jointly executed by authorised government and HPSEBL officials, enabling the IT Wing of HPSEBL to implement the revised limits.
The A&A forms were finalised in June 2025 and by August 2025, the government had already realised savings of Rs. 56 lakh in a single month due to the reduced demand charges. These savings will continue to accrue every month.
The Chief Minister has lauded this initiative and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to undertake similar rationalisation exercises across other sectors to reduce unnecessary expenditure and ensure prudent financial management.
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