SHIMLA,31.10.25
Chief Minister dedicates Rs. 29.50 crore development projects for Shree Renuka Ji constituency
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu virtually performed inaugurations and foundation stones of five development projects worth Rs. 29.50 crore for Shree Renuka Ji assembly constituency of Sirmaur district from New Delhi today.
The Chief Minister inaugurated Government Industrial Training Institute building at Maina Bag in tehsil Sangrah constructed at a cost of Rs. 6.47 crore and Sub Market Yard at Nohradhar, Phase-I completed with an outlay of Rs. 2.20 crore.
He laid foundation stones of Renukaji Dadahu Birla road to be constructed at a cost of rupees two crore, Rs. 17.89 crore irrigation facility to various villages of Renukaji constituency under Jal Shakti Vibhag Sub Division Nohradhar and Rs. 94 lakh Gravity Water Supply Scheme Rondi Pul to village Chokan, Thandi, Harizan basti Chumanu and Kudag in Gram Panchayat Bharari, Nohradhar.
Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Deputy Speaker, H.P. Vidhan Sabha Vinay Kumar, MLA Ajay Solanki, Deputy Commissioner Sirmaur Priyanka Verma, Superintendent of Police Nishchint Negi were present at Maina Baag.
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Press Statement of Health Minister Dr. (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil issued on 31st October, 2025
Responding to the allegations made by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil clarified that the JICA project was being aided through a loan undertaken by the State Government, not from any kind of grant of the Central Government, as being claimed by the BJP Member of Parliament (MP). He said that the BJP MP was misleading the public and attempting to take false credit for the government’s initiatives.
Dr. Shandil stated that the present Government has formulated a comprehensive project to strengthen the health sector, which was being funded through JICA. This project is the result of the persistent efforts of the State Government as the blueprint for this project was prepared nearly two years ago and the funding arrangement through JICA was made at that time. He said that the project was being implemented with the objective of providing better healthcare facilities to the people of the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The Health Minister said that in times to come, the State Government would invest Rs. 3000 crore to strengthen all medical colleges, regional hospitals, and other health institutions across Himachal Pradesh.
He added that facilities for robotic surgery have now been introduced at Chamiyana Super Specialities Hospital and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda enabling people to access advanced treatment in the state. “It is surprising that Harsh Mahajan has suddenly remembered to claim credit, despite being unaware of the facts even as a Member of Parliament,” he remarked.
Dr. Shandil said the people of the state are well aware that the condition of health services remained deplorable during the entire regime of BJP government in the so called “Double engine Sarkaar.” The major hospitals were operating with outdated machines and some were even as old as 20 years, forcing patients to seek treatment outside the state. The then BJP government failed to address these issues and was now pointing fingers at the State Government which has taken several initiatives to improve the health sector and provide facilities to the people at their doorsteps.
He emphasized that under Chief Minister's leadership, state-run hospitals were now offering affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to all. This transformation, he said, was the result of the State Government’s firm resolve and dedicated efforts.
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MoU Signed for clean Himachal: Major step towards safe faecal sludge management in rural areas
In a significant step towards a cleaner and healthier Himachal Pradesh, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today between the Jal Shakti Vibhag (JSV) and the Rural Development Department, Government of Himachal Pradesh for co-treatment of faecal sludge at the existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). The initiative aims to strengthen wastewater management systems and curb pollution in the water bodies.
The MoU was signed by the Director, Rural Development, Government of Himachal Pradesh in the presence of the Secretary Rural Development and the Engineer-in-Chief, Jal Shakti Vibhag.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Gramin, the state has been working to address the growing challenge of faecal sludge management. The Jal Shakti Vibhag has identified 22 existing STPs across the state where infrastructure will be developed to enable co-treatment of faecal sludge.
The Rural Development Department, in collaboration with the WASH institute has been conducting surveys, training engineers and planning sustainable methods for the safe disposal of faecal sludge in rural areas where most households depend on single-pit toilets. With increasing population, tourism and labour influx, these pits often overflow or are emptied into open areas, contaminating rivers, ponds and streams leading to serious environmental and health hazards.
As part of the pilot phase, two STPs, one at Palampur in Kangra district and other at Sundernagar in Mandi district have already been made co-treatment compliant and are fully functional providing safe sludge treatment for surrounding rural areas.
In near future, all the feasible STPs managed by the Jal Shakti Vibhag will be upgraded for co-treatment ensuring safe and sustainable faecal sludge management across most parts of rural Himachal. This initiative marks a major stride in protecting the environment and public health.
This collaborative effort reflects the state’s commitment to achieving a clean and green Himachal under the vision of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Representatives from the WASH Institute and Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) were also present on the occasion.
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Chief Secretary emphasizes use of data in policy-making
Officials should monitor and analyze the data coming from the field offices
Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta after inaugurating a workshop on 'Strengthening the use of data in Governance in Himachal Pradesh here today said that the data is like the 'new soil of governance' and the better we use it, the better the results will be. In the era of AI and information technology the role of data was constantly increasing. Better use of data will not only help in policy formulation but also accelerate the state's progress. He emphasized that the true power of data is revealed when various facts are properly integrated.
The Chief Secretary noted that various departments collect different types of data and better aggregation and integration of this data was essential for planning. He emphasized that 'Data Literacy' also plays a crucial role in data collection and emphasized that accuracy was crucial while maintaining the same. He said that officials should monitor and analyze the data coming from the field offices together keeping confidentiality of departmental data prevent tampering.
It is essential to develop a secure and interoperable State Data Integration Platform, build a robust data governance infrastructure, establish data labs or policy labs in collaboration with institutions so as to encourage interdepartmental data use and make data an integral part of administrative functioning.
The Chief Secretary stated that Himachal Pradesh was performing exceptionally well in various sectors, viz: rural economy, education, and health. He emphasized that the state's progress should be reflected in data and should be made user-friendly for the public.
Finance Secretary Dr. Abhishek Jain welcomed the Chief Secretary and other senior officials to the workshop.
On this occasion, Dr. Jain stated that the most important asset today was data and the collection of accurate information. He added that data provides insights into many important aspects related to various sectors. The state is moving beyond data collection to data utilization, and to establish data as a key asset of governance, he said. Training programs will be organized through Indian School of Business (ISB) for better data collection. He said that capacity building programs were also organized at the district level.
Presentations highlighting the importance of data were also given in the workshop.
Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, R.D. Nazeem, Secretaries, heads and senior officials of various departments were present in this workshop. Deputy Commissioners of various districts participated in this workshop virtually.
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Rashtriya Sankalp Diwas
On the occasion of Rashtriya Sankalp Diwas, Mahesh Pathania, Additional Director, Information and Public Relations, administered oath in the spirit of the Country's Unity, Integrity and security of the Nation to the officers and Officials of Directorate of Information and Public Relations Department on 31st October 2025