SHIMLA -24 September, 2025

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu becomes first CM of India to address at House of Lords

Indo-European Business Forum honours him with Leadership and Governance Award

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has created history by becoming the first Chief Minister in the country to address the House of Lords, London. He delivered his keynote address yesterday evening at a summit hosted by the Indo-European Business Forum. In his address, the Chief Minister invited global investors to explore opportunities in clean energy, responsible tourism, horticulture, IT, and wellness sectors in Himachal Pradesh. He highlighted the state’s 100 percent literacy rate, along with its strong foundation of trust and resilience, which make it an attractive destination for investment.

The Chief Minister emphasized that Himachal Pradesh is not just a year-round tourist destination but has also emerged as a hub of opportunities for global business. He reiterated that the State Government is committed to building a self-reliant Himachal Pradesh through “Vyavastha Parivartan se Aatmanirbhar Himachal" (Self-Reliant through Systemic Reforms)”. He said that this was not merely a slogan, but a vision shared with the people of Himachal Pradesh, one that guides every initiative of his government.

He said that the State Government has introduced forward-looking policies that are driving Himachal Pradesh towards clean and green energy, responsible tourism, horticulture, information technology, data storage, and food processing. He highlighted that the State has already taken a leadership role in hydropower and renewable energy, where European expertise and Indian aspirations can create strong synergies.

The Chief Minister further noted that Himachal apple's have earned global recognition as a trusted brand, and now the state was into organic vegetables, floriculture, and other high-value crops that are poised for international markets. He added that the government’s focus on natural farming and dairy-based initiatives has opened new avenues for innovation and collaboration. Urging European investors to explore opportunities in wellness, organic products, and sustainable lifestyles, Sh. Sukhu emphasized that Himachal Pradesh has consistently ranked among the best-performing states of India, particularly in the social sectors.

Sh. Sukhu extended an invitation to European investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators to visit Himachal Pradesh, assuring them that they would not only discover business opportunities but also build partnerships founded on trust, stability, and shared values.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister was conferred with the Leadership and Governance Award in recognition of his visionary and transformative governance in Himachal Pradesh.

IEBF Founder Vijay Goel, Lord David Evans, Minister Kanishka Narayan, Minister Seema Malhotra, Virender Sharma, His Excellency Samuel Mahama from Ghana, Dr. Rohitga Sri Lanka’s former Foreign Minister and High Commissioner, Dr. Neerja Birla, Niharika Handa, Tejesh Kumar Kodali, Subodh Kumar Gupta, and Sandip Sali were also present on the occasion.

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Naresh Chauhan asks centre to accept responsibility of imposing heavy taxes in form of GST for eight years

Chief Minister’s Principal Media Advisor Naresh Chauhan today welcomed the recent reforms in Goods and Services Tax (GST) but said that the Centre must accept responsibility for exploiting the poor and middle-class through excessive taxation since its implementation in 2017.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Chauhan said that from 2017 to 2025, the citizens, especially the poor and middle class, were heavily burdened with taxes even on essential items like pulses, food, and clothing. He alleged that through this, the Centre collected more than Rs. 55 lakh crore in the past eight years and now must seek an apology from the people of the country.

He said that Congress from the very beginning termed GST as an unfair system and consistently demanded reforms, but the BJP-led Centre ignored opposition voices for its own financial gains. He reminded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had described GST as “Gabbar Singh Tax” and added that what the Centre was projecting it as reforms and savings though this should instead be termed as repentance and realization.

Chauhan further said that since 2014, most of the policies of the Central Government have been anti-people and against the interests of the poor and middle class. The GST reforms, he added, reflect's the Centre’s political compulsion as BJP fears defeat in upcoming elections in states including Bihar.

He pointed out that the foundation of GST was laid during UPA-2 through committees and expert deliberations, envisaging a uniform tax structure. However, after 2014, the BJP reshaped GST forcing the burden on the people by introducing tax slabs of 5, 12, 18, 28, and even 40 percent, leading to continuous exploitation for eight years.

Chauhan accused the Centre of filling its coffers by squeezing the savings of poor and middle class through heavy taxation. He said while citizens battled inflation and unemployment, GST collection pushed them into economic distress, reducing their purchasing power and slowing the development.

He also criticized the Centre for denying the benefit of cheaper crude oil imports from Russia to the public, keeping petrol and diesel prices high while restricting the gains to a few large corporate houses.

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Additional funds of Rs. 22.44 crore sanctioned for health institutions

A spokesperson of the Health Department said here today that the State Government has sanctioned additional funds of Rs. 22.44 crore to expedite the construction of various buildings of the Health Department across the state. The step is aimed to give further impetus to healthcare services in the state.

Giving the details, he informed that Rs. 7.92 crore has been sanctioned for the Cath Lab at District Hospital Kullu, Rs. 2.64 crore for Type-IV and Type-III quarters and an additional block at Civil Hospital Nadaun, and Rs. 1.98 crore for Civil Hospital Kandaghat. Similarly, Rs. 3.30 crore has been allocated to Civil Hospital Amb in district Una, and Rs. 1.32 crore each for doctors’ residences at Community Health Centre Haripur (district Kangra), Community Health Centre building at Haripur Dehra, doctors’ residences at Civil Hospital Dehra, the building at Primary Health Centre Bankhandi (Kangra district), and the hospital at Gagret.

He said that the present State Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, was committed to providing specialized and quality health services to the people of the State closer to their homes. He added that the government has accorded top priority to strengthening health infrastructure in all health institutions. Advanced and modern medical technologies are also being introduced in medical colleges across the State so that patients do not need to travel outside Himachal Pradesh for specialized healthcare services.

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ADRESSING OF A PRESS CONFERENCE

While addressing a press conference here today, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania stated that the Himachal Pradesh Government was taking decisive steps to strengthen the health sector and ensure that people get access to world-class medical facilities within the State itself. The vision is clear, no patient should be compelled to travel outside Himachal for advanced treatment. He said the credit goes to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for strengthening this vital sector.

He said that there was a time when kidney patients had to travel outside the State and were duped by the medical mafia for Kidney transplant. There were cases when such patients were taken as far as West Bengal for the kidney transplant and were deceived by the middlemen.

If I talk of Tanda medical college and hospital, as many as 35 kidney transplants were done during the last six months, he stated.

Sh. Pathania stated that it was for the first time that robotic surgery has become a reality for patients in the State. The facility has already started at Chamiyana Hospital in Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda. Plans were underway to expand this modern technology to IGMC Shimla and other leading medical institutions in the near future, he said.

The flagship HIMCARE scheme was being expanded to cover more people and provide timely relief in emergencies. HIMCARE cards could now be made directly in medical colleges and civil hospitals, and would be issued every year in March, June, September and December. Special provisions had also been made to provide free HIMCARE cards to BPL families, MGNREGA workers, street vendors, orphans and jail inmates, he stated.

Free treatment and medicines are now being provided to cancer patients, while an advanced cancer hospital is being set up at Hamirpur.

He said that the Government was equally focused on upgrading diagnostic facilities. Old machines are being replaced in health centres across the State, from primary hospitals to major institutions. To support this transformation, ₹3,000 crore has been sanctioned for the installation of modern CT scan, MRI and other essential diagnostic equipment. He said that recently a decision has been taken in the Cabinet to fill engage 200 Medical Officers as and 400 posts of Staff Nurses in various medical colleges across the State. A decision has also been taken in the Cabinet held on 15th September to fill 38 posts of Assistant Professors in Cardiology, Neurology, Urology and Gastroenterology in the medical colleges in the State.

While elaborating about the initiatives in education sector, Kewal Singh Pathania said that government has taken several landmark decisions to strengthen the education system and ensure better opportunities for the students. In a significant move, the government has decided that no teacher in government schools, colleges, medical colleges, ITIs, polytechnic colleges, ayurvedic colleges, and nursing colleges will retire during mid-session. Henceforth, all retirements will take place only at the end of the academic year.

Pathania said that to improve education standards and prepare students for future challenges, the government has decided to introduce the CBSE curriculum in state senior secondary schools. In the first phase, 100 government senior secondary schools across the state will be affiliated with CBSE starting from the next academic session. Each Assembly constituency will have at least one CBSE school to ensure students have easy access to quality education, he remarked.

The government has appointed over 5,400 teachers and more than 7,000 vacant positions have been filled, ensuring better academic support across the state. To optimize resources, schools with very low student strength have been rationalized with 818 schools closed, while 535 schools have been merged.

The government has also initiated the establishment of modern Rajiv Gandhi Ideal Day-Boarding Schools in every assembly constituency. These schools will feature state-of-the-art facilities, including libraries, playgrounds, indoor stadiums, swimming pools, solar plants, and rainwater harvesting systems.

Repair and reconstruction of schools affected by natural disasters have been made a top priority to ensure uninterrupted learning for children under any circumstances.

Looking ahead, from the next session, vocational courses will be integrated into schools and colleges. This initiative is expected to provide youth with employable skills while giving new impetus to the state’s horticulture-based economy.

These reforms have received nationwide recognition, positioning Himachal Pradesh as a model state in education innovation and quality enhancement made possible due to farsightedness of the Chief Minister, remarked Sh. Pathania.