SHIMLA-7 Feb, 2026

State Govt. earns Rs. 26,683 Crore in three years from its own resources: CM

• Chairs MLA priority meeting with Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today held discussions with MLAs from Kullu, Mandi and Shimla during the first session of the second day of MLA Priority Meetings for the financial year 2026-27. The meeting focused on the development priorities of the respective constituencies.

The Chief Minister said that during the last three years, the present state government has generated Rs. 26,683 crore in revenue from its own resources. He said that the state earned a financial benefit of about Rs. 401 crore from acquiring ownership of the Wildflower Hall Hotel and it was expected to earn around Rs. 20 crore annually from it. He said that due to the efforts of the present government, the royalty share for the Karcham-Wangtoo Hydropower Project has increased from 12 percent to 18 percent, which would provide the state with an additional income of nearly Rs. 150 crore every year.

The Chief Minister further said that under the 15th Finance Commission, Himachal Pradesh received a total of Rs. 37,199 crore as Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), which was released in a gradually decreasing manner. The state received Rs. 10,249 crore in 2021-22, Rs. 9,377 crore in 2022-23, Rs. 8,057 crore in 2023-24, Rs. 6,249 crore in 2024-25 and Rs. 3,257 crore in 2025-26. He said that the decision of the 16th Finance Commission to discontinue the RDG would result in a loss of nearly Rs. 50,000 crore to Himachal. He said this decision was unjust for a hill state with difficult geographical conditions and said it would adversely affect development works, welfare schemes and the payment of salaries and pensions. He urged the Central Government to restore the RDG and provide special financial assistance, keeping in view the state’s unique circumstances.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that to promote border tourism and allied activities have been started at the Shipki-La Pass on the India-China border. He said that although the Union Budget 2026-27 announced a “Buddhist Circuit” for the North-Eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, which was a major centre of Buddhist culture has been excluded, which was discriminatory and a step motherly treatment with the state.

He said that despite having world-famous tourist destinations, no specific budgetary provision has been made for tourism development in the state.

*District Kullu

During the meeting, MLA Manali Bhuvneshwar Gaur said that the discontinuation of the RDG was not in the interest of the state and appealed for collective efforts to convince the Central Government to restore it. He demanded the construction of an ice-skating rink in Manali, strengthening of the Left Bank Road, an increase in police personnel during the tourist season and the provision of small machines for snow clearance.

MLA Kullu Sunder Singh Thakur demanded the expansion of Kullu Airport and thanked the Chief Minister for starting heli-taxi services in the area. He requested timely completion of roads approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and sought the construction of an alternative road to Manikaran to ease traffic congestion. He also urged an increase in staff at the Mother and Child Hospital in Kullu.

MLA Banjar Surender Shourie called for strengthening the road network in the Banjar area and resolving power-related issues by upgrading the Bajaura sub-station. He also demanded improvement of the Aut-Luhri road and the introduction of water sports activities at Larji.

MLA Anni Lokender Kumar requested the strengthening of facilities at the Model Health Institution in Anni. He called for strict action against drug mafias, an increase in police personnel to improve traffic management and the installation of anti-hail guns in the area to benefit orchardists.

*Mandi District

MLA Karsog Deep Raj raised the issue of constructing buildings for the Karsog ITI and Polytechnic College. He requested an increase in bus services in the area and asked for faster progress on road construction works.

MLA Sundernagar Rakesh Jamwal urged the authorities to speed up the construction of buildings for CHC Nihri and PHC Balag. He requested a water supply from the Sutlej River for Nihri, water facilities for Daher, and improvements in the sewerage system in Sundernagar. He also asked for the completion of the ITI Daher building and the Sundernagar Indoor Stadium.

MLA Nachan Vinod Kumar demanded the construction of foot over bridges damaged by disasters in the area. He asked for the early completion of the indoor stadium being built at the Degree College. He also requested that the Chailchowk-Pandoh road be included under CRIF funding. He thanked the government for approving the improvement of the Mandi-Janjehli road.

MLA Drang Purna Singh Thakur requested improvements to local roads and an increase in bus services. He raised the issue of losses faced by local people due to the four-lane road between Padhar and Mandi. He also asked for faster construction of the Jwalapur PHC building.

MLA Jogindernagar Prakash Rana asked for closed roads to be reopened and for staff deployment in proportion to the size of the constituency. He also requested improvements in water and electricity supply.

MLA Dharampur Chandrashekhar urged the completion of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bridge, which would connect Jogindernagar and Dharampur constituencies. He requested improvements in health services at Dharampur, Sandhol and Tihra health institutions. He also asked for a plan to prevent annual losses at the Dharampur bus stand. Additionally, he requested the establishment of milk collection centres and a chilling plant in the area.

MLA Balh Inder Singh Gandhi demanded the early completion of unfinished culverts and bridges in the Balh constituency. He also requested the strengthening of drinking water supply projects in the area.

MLA Mandi Anil Sharma requested the construction of a Mandi bypass road for heavy vehicles. He demanded the relocation of Mandi Jail. While appreciating the restoration of drinking water schemes damaged during disasters within six months, he asked for the Tarna storage tank to be shifted to another location. He also requested a solution to the electricity problem in Kotli.

MLA Sarkaghat Dilip Thakur demanded the completion of the incomplete building of Sarkaghat Civil Hospital and the filling of vacant doctor posts. He asked for the early completion of the drinking water project under construction and requested improvements to roads damaged during disasters.

*Shimla District

MLA Chopal Balbir Verma demanded improvement of the Sanj-Deha-Chopal road. He also requested that vacant posts in government offices in the area be filled. In addition, he asked for a better electricity supply during snowfall, with power to be provided from the Shillai supply line.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission Bhawani Singh Pathania, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar along with other administrative secretaries, heads of departments and senior officers were present in the meeting.

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I&PR department mourns demise of mother of Joint Director

Director, Information and Public Relations Department Rajeev Kumar and all the officers and officials of the Information and Public Relations department have expressed grief over the demise of Surekha Parashar, mother of Joint Director Ajay Parashar, who passed away at Chandigarh after a prolonged illness.

Conveying their sympathies with the family, the department assured full support to the bereaved family members in this hour of sorrow and prayed for granting peace to the departed soul while extending their condolences to the grief-stricken Parashar family.

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CM reviews MLA priorities for 2026-27, Highlights major push in Health, Education and Rural Economy

Shimla and Kangra MLA's place development demands as CM calls for Fast-Track resolution and ‘Chitta-Free Himachal’

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today held discussions with legislators from Shimla and Kangra districts during the second and final session of the two-day meeting convened to determine the priorities of MLAs for the financial year 2026–27. The Chief Minister said that the present State Government was laying special emphasis on health, education, the rural economy, tourism, energy, food processing and data storage.

He stated that the government has taken several path-breaking decisions to strengthen the rural economy. Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to offer the highest minimum support price for milk and naturally grown wheat, barley, maize and turmeric. He said that these measures would significantly strengthen the rural economy and bring about a marked improvement in the standard of living of rural residents.

Referring to a recent national survey, the Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh has made remarkable progress in providing quality education, securing the 5th position among states after ranking 21st in 2021, thereby surpassing 16 states.

He added that the government was equipping health institutions with advanced medical technology to provide specialized healthcare services. Robotic surgery facilities have already been introduced in two medical colleges in the state, and this facility will soon be extended to all medical colleges for the benefit of patients.

Sh. Sukhu further said that the government has undertaken investor-friendly reform initiatives to promote industrial development, as a result of which Himachal Pradesh has been recognized as a “Top Achiever State” under the ‘Business Reform Action Plan–2024’ of the Government of India. He added that the state was emerging as a progressive leader in digital innovation, with increased adoption of digitization and e-filing in government functioning. For its outstanding achievement in citizen-centric digital service delivery, Himachal Pradesh has been honoured with the “People First Integration Award.”

He said that according to the 2025 report prepared in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, Himachal Pradesh has achieved an average Human Development Index of 0.78, which was significantly higher than the National average of 0.63. This, he said, reflects that even a hill state with limited resources can achieve substantial progress through sound policies and active public participation.

The Chief Minister urged the legislators to submit their development priorities in the prescribed format to the Planning Department at the earliest so that these could be incorporated in the budget for the financial year 2026-27. He also directed officers to resolve the issues raised by the MLAs on a priority basis. He called upon the legislators to extend their active cooperation to make the state government’s “Chitta-Free Himachal” campaign a success.

Shimla District

During the meeting, MLA Mohan Lal Brakta from Rohru thanked the Chief Minister for the historic increase in the support price of milk and the record procurement of apples under the MIS. He urged the government to start B.Ed. classes at Seema College and requested the early completion of under-construction drinking water schemes in his constituency.

MLA Harish Janartha from Shimla Urban sought a separate budget for the construction and repair of link roads in Shimla city and faster execution of drinking water schemes. He also demanded expediting the work on underground ducting in Shimla and expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the initiatives undertaken for the beautification of the city.

Kangra District

During the priority-setting meetings, legislators from various constituencies of Kangra district placed their key demands and development concerns before the Chief Minister

MLA Nurpur Ranbir Nikka urged the completion of construction work of the Mother and Child Hospital in Nurpur and the filling of vacant doctor posts in the Civil Hospital. He also demanded demarcation in the areas along the Punjab border to stop illegal mining within the boundaries of Kangra district.

MLA Indora Malendra Rajan raised the issue of damage caused by floods during the monsoon season and demanded that compensation be provided to the affected people at the earliest. He urged that channelization work be carried out in the area to prevent floods. He also demanded steps to stop the theft of khair trees from the land of Ram Gopal Temple in Damtal and called for the formulation of a sugar policy for sugarcane farmers, provision of incentives and setting up of a sugar mill.

MLA Vikram Singh from Jaswan-Pragpur demanded that the Rakkar-Shantla road be included under the CRIF scheme. He urged the government to expedite the construction of the Public Works Department Executive Engineer’s office building at Kotla Behar and requested strengthening of the power supply system in the Chanour Industrial Area.

MLA Sanjay Rattan from Jwalamukhi raised the issue of constructing a heliport in the constituency. He sought the establishment of a polytechnic or an ITI in the area and requested augmentation of facilities at Khundian Hospital. He also demanded allocation of funds to improve electricity and water supply at Jawalamukhi Hospital and urged early completion of two under-construction bridges in the constituency. In addition, he requested the release of additional funds for the repair of roads damaged during disasters.

MLA Vipin Singh Parmar from Sulah demanded the early completion of two bridges under construction over the Bair Khad. He urged expediting the construction of buildings of Civil Hospital Bhawarna, the Polytechnic College, and ITI Rajhun. He also requested repair and restoration of kuhls (traditional irrigation channels) in the area.

MLA Pawan Kajal from Kangra emphasized the need to improve the quality of education and strengthen healthcare services in the constituency. He also requested measures to improve the condition of kuhls in the area.

MLA Ashish Butail from Palampur expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the government’s efforts to promote tourism activities in Palampur. He raised the issue of increased water bills in the Municipal Corporation area and urged expediting the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding School and a library in Palampur. He also requested further strengthening of healthcare services in the constituency.

MLA Kishori Lal from Baijnath urged expediting the construction work of the Holi–Utrala road. He requested strengthening of health services in the area and filling of vacant posts. He also demanded the provision of new buses for the Baijnath HRTC depot.

Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board, Bhawani Singh Pathania, welcomed the legislators for participating in the priority meetings and said that such meetings are held every year, reflecting the strength of the state’s robust democratic system.

Agriculture Minister Chaudhary Chandra Kumar, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma, HPTDC Chairman Raghubir Singh Bali, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar, along with administrative secretaries and heads of various departments, were present on the occasion.