Clear medical claims and arrears of Class-IV pensioners within four days: CM

• Government to release Rs. 20 crore for small apple growers under MIS
• CM presides over meeting with Administrative Secretaries

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while presiding over a meeting of all the Administrative Secretaries here today, directed to release Rs. 20 crore under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to clear the pending bills of small apple growers. He also took stock of the various welfare schemes of the departments and directed that benefit of these schemes shall reach to all the eligible groups.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu further instructed to clear the arrears of all Class-IV pensioners of all the departments as per the announcement made on 15^th April this year. He said that medical reimbursement claims of retired as well as serving government employees shall also be cleared at the earliest. He said that all the liabilities shall be cleared within four days and a compliance report be submitted to the Chief Minister's Office. He said that all the departments shall issue necessary directions to the DDOs and fix their responsibility in case of any laxity.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has launched a campaign against drug menace and is taking a very serious view on those government officials who are found involved in drugs trafficking. He said that 31 employees have been dismissed from the service after being found guilty for their involvement in such illegal activities. He said that a total of 122 government officials have been found involved in chitta related cases and directed all the Administrative Secretaries to take stern action against the employees concerned.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretaries K.K. Pant, Onkar Chand Sharma and R.D. Nazeem and other Administrative Secretaries also attended the meeting.

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CM reviews READY-HP

• Emphasizes resilient infrastructure and livelihood protection

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu chaired a high level meeting to review the Resilient Action for Development and Disaster Recovery- Himachal Pradesh (READY-HP) here today. He said that the total outlay of the project is Rs. 2687 crore and described it as a crucial initiative for strengthening disaster resilience in the state.

The Chief Minister while referring to the increasing impact of natural calamities, said that the state witnessed 86 cloudbursts, 234 landslides and 121 flash floods between 2023 to 2025 resulting in a loss of above Rs. 12,500 crore to the state. He said that Himachal Pradesh is highly vulnerable to the natural calamities as the state falls in the young and fragile Himalayan geological region.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the project aims to restore disaster affected infrastructure including roads, water supply schemes, power and livelihood projects while ensuring a resilient recovery mechanism across the state. He said that the objective of READY-HP is to support resilient disaster recovery. It will also focus on developing resilient public services, promoting livelihood opportunities through initiatives like green panchayats and strengthening risk informed social safety and insurance mechanisms. He stressed the need for developing robust infrastructure to support farmers and horticulturists so that their livelihoods remain protected and resilient during natural disasters.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary Revenue K.K. Pant, Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Advisor Planning Ravinder Kumar, Director, Energy Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, Director Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Raghav Sharma, Deputy Project Director Surender Maltu and other senior officers were present in the meeting.

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SHIMLA 12 May, 2026

Prepare Nutrition Policy for state by 31^st May: CM

• Directs to digitize patient's data in IGMC on pilot basis

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed to formulate a Nutrition Policy before 31^st May this year. He was presiding over a meeting of senior officers of the Health Department here last evening. He said that there is a need to create widespread awareness among the people of the state regarding the nutritional value of the food to achieve the vision of a 'Fit Himachal'. He said that Himachal Pradesh is set to become the first state in the country to formulate such a comprehensive policy.

The Chief Minister said that digitization in the Health Department is very important. He directed officials to make records of patients available online so that people can get faster and easier healthcare services. He said that with this system, patients will not need to carry paper registration slips or medical test reports. He asked the department to start a pilot project at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital to digitize patient data in five departments viz. Pathology, Radiology, Mycology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy departments and assured to provide adequate manpower to implement this project. He said that after its successful implementation, the project will be expanded to all departments of IGMC and other medical colleges in the state.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is committed to provide world class health care facilities to the people of the state within the State and plans are underway to spend Rs. 3000 crore on high-end machines and equipment for strengthening the health care system. He said that the state government has sanctioned Rs. 75 crore for establishing automated labs in three medical colleges. The government is making efforts to double the seats of senior resident doctors in all the medical colleges as they play crucial role in the effective functioning of these institutions.

Chairman, State Food Commission S.P. Katyal, Secretary Ashish Singhmar, Special Secretaries Ashwani Kumar and Jitender Sanjta and other senior officers of the Health Department were also present in the meeting.