SHIMLA -12 October, 2026

Chief Minister condoles demise of Kiran Bhadana’s father

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed condolences on the sudden passing of Atar Singh Bhadana, father of Deputy Commissioner Lahaul-Spiti Kiran Bhadana.

The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and expressed solidarity with them in this hour of grief. He prayed to the almighty to grant peace to the departed soul and give strength and courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

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SHIMLA - 12 October, 2026

DGP reviews student safety measures at universities

Taking serious note of recent incidents at universities in neighbouring states, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had directed a review of student safety measures at all universities in Himachal Pradesh and called for necessary steps to prevent similar incidents.

In compliance with the Chief Minister’s directions, a meeting was held today at Police Headquarters in Shimla, chaired by Director General of Police Ashok Tiwari, with vice-chancellors and other senior representatives of the state’s 17 private universities. The meeting aimed to further strengthen campus security and establish regular, effective coordination between the police and university administrations so that students’ concerns can be addressed promptly.

A presentation on the recent unfortunate incidents in the Lovely Professional University and the Chitkara University was given at the start of the meeting.

The meeting held detailed discussions on campus security, monitoring of entry and exit points, verification of visitors, hostel security, the police verification and regular training of private security personnel.

Participants also discussed increasing the active involvement of universities and students in the statewide anti-chitta campaign being led by the Chief Minister. It was decided that the police and university administrations would work together to prevent drug-related activities on campuses and in surrounding areas.

To prevent rumours from spreading on social media during an incident, universities will coordinate with the police Cyber Crime and Media Cells. Each university will appoint an authorised spokesperson to ensure that accurate information was shared promptly.

To strengthen police–university coordination, each university will designate a nodal security officer who will remain in regular contact with the concerned district Superintendent of Police. Joint security audits of university campuses will also be conducted and clear procedures will be developed for responding to emergencies.

The Director General of Police urged universities to support the traffic volunteer scheme, cyber-safety awareness initiatives, the anti-chitta campaign and make better use of technology. He also discussed the possibility of signing memoranda of understanding to establish regular cooperation between universities and the police.

He said that Himachal Pradesh Police’s emergency service, 112, ranks first nationally. He urged universities to inform students-particularly female students-about this service and the ‘Track Me’ facility available for women’s safety, and to encourage them to follow the police’s official social media channels.

The Chief Minister after taking note of the recent incidents had directed the police and university administrations to take concrete, coordinated steps so that every student feels safe at educational institutions across the state and parents can have confidence in their children’s safety.

The Director General said the police aims to develop systems that prevent incidents before they occur, rather than respond only after something goes wrong. Student safety, mental well-being and protection from drugs and cybercrime were a shared responsibility.

He expressed confidence that, under the Chief Minister’s guidance, regular dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation between the police and universities would help ensure a safer, more disciplined and positive environment at the state’s educational institutions.

The Director General urged students, teachers and university administrations to report any emergency, suspicious activity or security concern immediately by calling 112.

Inspector General of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Deputy Inspectors General of the Southern Range and Law and Order, the Commandant of the First Indian Reserve Battalion, the Superintendents of Police of Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Baddi, Kangra and Una and other senior police officers were present at the meeting.

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Press statement issued from Shimla on 12^th October, 2026 by Health Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil and Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan

SHIMLA, 12.10.26-Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil and Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said here today that the BJP was in power in Himachal Pradesh from 2017 to 2022, and this period was a dark chapter in the state’s developmental history. They said that the BJP, which had raised the slogan of a double-engine government, made no significant contribution to Himachal Pradesh’s development during its five-year tenure.

They stated that Union Health Minister and senior BJP leader Jagat Prakash Nadda, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, had made politically motivated and factually baseless remarks against the financial management being undertaken by the state government despite financial challenges. Such statements, they said, reflected the BJP’s negative working style and its growing frustration over the party’s declining support base in the state.

The Ministers said that the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana was being implemented in Himachal Pradesh, with the Central Government contributing 90 per cent of the funding and the state government bearing the remaining 10 per cent. However, they said that the Centre had not released Rs. 112 crore due to Himachal Pradesh under the scheme for the period from 2021-26.

They said that since 2023, during the tenure of the present government, approximately 2.85 lakh people had received treatment, involving expenditure of around Rs. 420 crore. The state’s financial share for their treatment under Ayushman Bharat was capped at approximately Rs. 60 crore as per the 90-10 allocation system. However, keeping public welfare as its foremost priority, the state government had mobilised approximately Rs. 203 crore from its own resources to meet the additional expenditure. This amounts to approximately 4 times to the actual share of Himachal Pradesh.

The Ministers said that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, was rapidly moving Himachal Pradesh towards self-reliance. However, it was extremely unfortunate that the BJP was working against the interests of the state by attempting to obstruct the effective and positive public welfare initiatives undertaken by the present government.

They stated that Rs. 360 crore had been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission for the development of facilities such as Critical Care Blocks, District Integrated Public Health Laboratories, Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and Block Public Health Units, with the Centre’s share accounting for 90 per cent of the amount. However, a significant portion of this funding was yet to be released to the state. They said that the failure of the Central Government to release adequate funds had left the development of these vital healthcare infrastructure projects and facilities incomplete, adversely affecting public health services.

They said that if the Central Government ensured the timely release of funds rightfully due to the state under various heads, several projects and infrastructure development works could be completed on schedule, thereby benefiting the general public.

They further stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the state government had completely curbed corruption and ensured greater transparency and accountability.

They said that the previous BJP government had not even paid dearness allowance to government employees and was also unable to clear the liabilities arising from the Pay Commission.

The Ministers said that if the Central Government had released its pending share under Ayushman Bharat to Himachal Pradesh on time, the nine Critical Care Blocks, 12 District Integrated Public Health Laboratories, 38 Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 73 Block Public Health Units currently under construction could have been completed on schedule. This would have helped provide healthcare services to the people closer to their homes.

They said that when the present government took charge of the state in December 2022, Himachal Pradesh was burdened with a debt of approximately Rs. 75,000 crore and outstanding liabilities of around Rs. 10,000 crore towards government employees.

They added that if the previous BJP government had not misused the state’s limited resources and provided protection to corruption, the state would not have been burdened with such a heavy load of outstanding liabilities.