SHIMLA -15 January, 2026

CM expresses sorrow over loss of lives in tragic fire incident in Sirmaur District

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed profound grief over the tragic fire incident at village Talangna in Sangrah, Sirmaur district, which claimed the lives of six people, including children, and left one person injured. The Chief Minister described the incident as unfortunate and offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members, praying for the peace of the departed souls.

The Chief Minister has directed the district administration to carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident and to ensure that all possible assistance is extended to the bereaved families at the earliest. He also directed to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured person.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and for strength and courage to the grieving families to endure this irreparable loss. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured person

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Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed deep sorrow over the sad demise of the Lambardar Shri Ayodhya Nath Sharma (93 years), father of senior journalist Ashwani Sharma

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed deep sorrow over the sad demise of the Lambardar Shri Ayodhya Nath Sharma (93 years), father of senior journalist Ashwani Sharma, who passed away today morning at his native village Karloop, Tehsil Marh, District Jammu.

The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to Shri Ashwani Sharma and the entire bereaved family, and prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family to bear this profound loss.

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Chief Minister expresses grief over loss of lives in road accident in Chamba

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief over the tragic road accident near Balnera Nala on the Chamba-Saho road, in which two people lost their lives.

The Chief Minister has conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and directed the District Administration to ensure immediate assistance and relief to the next of kin of the deceased.

He prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and courage to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.

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Education Minister expresses grief over loss of lives in fire tragedy at Shri Renukaji Assembly Constituency

Education Minister Rohit Thakur has expressed deep grief over the tragic incident of a massive fire that broke out late last night in village Talangna of Gram Panchayat Ghanduri in Shri Renukaji Assembly Constituency in which five people lost their lives.

Rohit Thakur conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and said that the loss is irreparable. He directed the district administration to conduct an immediate and thorough inquiry into the incident and to ensure that all possible assistance is provided to the affected families without delay.

Rohit Thakur prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and give strength and courage to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.

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CM Meets Union Finance Minister, raises key fiscal issues of Himachal Pradesh

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at New Delhi today.

Discussing fiscal issues of the State, the Chief Minister sought support of the Centre Government for strengthening the financial condition of Himachal Pradesh.

Sh. Sukhu apprised the Union Minister about the memorandum and additional memorandum submitted to the 16th Finance Commission. He urged for making Revenue Deficit Grant at a minimum level of ten thousand crore annually. He laid stress on realistic assessment of Revenue Deficit Grant of States revenues and expenditure projections during the award period of 16th Finance Commission.

The Chief Minister strongly pleaded for creating a separate ' Green Fund ' with earmarked annual allocation of 50,000 crore for hill states, they being the Green Frontiers and Lungs of North India, keeping in view the ecological services being provided by them. He also apprised about the revised formula proposed by the state for horizontal devolution for increasing the weightage for the criteria of Forest and Ecology. He urged that snow covered cum cold desert areas above tree lines should be included along with very dense forests and moderate sense forest areas for their symbiotic relationship.

He stressed upon reframing the Disaster Risk Index developed by 15th Finance Commission pleading that Himalayan regions cannot be equated with other areas of the country. He said that State was deprived of adequate resources for its disaster relief despite facing heavy natural disasters. He urged for a separate DRI for hill states considering their unique indicators and demanded a separate allocation for hill states.

The Chief Minister requested the Union Finance Minister for extending support to the State by allowing additional borrowing of two percent GSDP as steep reduction in RDG over the last few years has severely constrained the fiscal space available to the state.

Principal Advisor to CM Ram Subhag Singh, Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Secretary to CM Rakesh Kanwar, and Senior Officers of State Government accompanied the Chief Minister.

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CM bats for apple growers, demands 100 percent import duty to save Himachal’s apple economy & seasonal ban on import of apples

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today took the battle for Himachal Pradesh’s apple growers to the doorsteps of the Union Government, in a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi today and urged for urgent intervention against the crippling influx of foreign apples.

Advocating strongly for the interests of over 2.5 lakh apple growers, the Chief Minister urged for including apples in the 'Special Category' to shield domestic growers from unfair International competition.

The Chief Minister urged an immediate ban on all apple imports during the peak Himachal production window i.e. July to November and a hike in import duty of apples to 100 percent during off-season months to discourage foreign dumping. He requested for quantitative restriction to be imposed on apple imports.

The Chief Minister briefed the Union Minister that a delegation of progressive orchardists of the State also met him on Tuesday and they raised their concern over reduction of import duty on apples being imported from New Zealand which have adversely affected the interests of local orchardists.

The Chief Minister highlighted that Himachal Pradesh known as the 'Apple State of India,' generates an annual income of approximately Rs.4,500 crore from apple production, contributing nearly 80 percent of the state’s total fruit production.

'"This is not just about fruit, it is about the livelihood and sustenance of 2.5 lakh families and the generation of 10 lakh man-days of employment," the CM stated. Our small and marginal farmers are being pushed to the brink by trade policies that favor foreign corporations over Indian soil, he remarked.

The Chief Minister expressed grave concern over the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand, noting that imports have surged 2.5 times over past ten years. He said that the 25 percent duty exemption for New Zealand apples during the April August window, was crashing prices for local apples stored in CA/cold storage facilities, effectively destroying the off-season trade for Himachal's growers.

He said that effective steps were to be taken to protect the livelihood of small and marginal farmers.

Later, while talking to the media, the Chief Minister’ questioned the stony silence of Himachal’s BJP leadership and also called upon them to take up the interest of the State and the apple growers at appropriate platform at the Centre leadership for welfare of Himachali farmers.

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CM calls on Union Health Minister

Urges for centre's assistance for developing Health infra

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called on Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda at New Delhi today.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Union Minister to take up projects of Himachal Pradesh at Centre and support in the development of the state.

The Chief Minister also held detailed discussions about strengthening health sector in the state. He sought support of the centre for health infrastructure projects besides Ayushman Bharat Programme.

The Union Minister assured of all possible assistance to the State.