SHIMLA, 04.11.26-Health, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil today virtually participated in a preparatory meeting for the two-day Departmental Summit, Samaveshi Niti Sankalp chaired by Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar.

The summit, being organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, on 18-19 November, 2026 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, aims to provide a collaborative platform for the Centre, States and Union Territories to deliberate upon key priorities in the social justice and empowerment sector and identify concrete measures to enhance the outreach, coverage and effectiveness of various welfare schemes and interventions.

During the meeting, the Health Minister emphasised that the Summit would provide Himachal Pradesh with an important national platform to showcase its pioneering initiatives and ground breaking interventions in the social justice and empowerment sector, which are bringing tangible and positive changes at the grassroots level.

He said that the Summit would not only enable the state to share its experiences, achievements and innovative practices with other states but would also offer a valuable opportunity to learn from the best practices adopted by the central government and other states and union territories. Such exchange of knowledge and experiences would help strengthen policy implementation, improve service delivery and ensure that the benefits of various welfare schemes reach the intended beneficiaries more effectively.

The deliberations at the Summit will revolve around four key themes, Re-imagining Prevention and Drug Demand Reduction for Nasha Mukt Bharat; Accessible Scholarships, Empowered Students; Early Intervention and Reduction of Disability Burden; and Sugamya Bharat for Viksit Bharat – focusing on accessibility, inclusion and creation of a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities.

The Health Minister expressed confidence that the Summit would further strengthen centre-state cooperation, encourage mutual learning and facilitate the adoption of innovative and effective approaches to ensure inclusive development and social empowerment.