Himachal Pradesh Government

Medal winners of World Winter Games to be honoured: CM
Gives warm send off to athletes contingent of Special Olympics World Winter Games

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today gave a warm send-off to Special Athletes and Coaches of Special Olympics of Himachal Pradesh selected for Special Olympics World Winter Games being organized at Turin, Italy from 7th to 16th March, 2025.

The Chief Minister said that it was a matter of happiness for the people of the State that 24 athletes and coaches out of 49 member Indian delegation were from Himachal Pradesh for this prestigious event. These athletes will take part in various events such as Skiing, Snowboarding, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing and Floor ball. He expressed hope that they will perform well in this event and bring laurels to the country as well as the State. He said that the present State Government was extending all possible assistance to the budding players of the State so that they could compete and excel at national and international sports competitions. The State Government would honour the medalists of this event and the State government had significantly enhanced the prize money for the international events to promote sports activities amongst the youth so that they do not fall prey to drug abuse.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the prize money for gold medalists in the Olympics, Winter Olympics and Paralympics had been raised from Rs. 3 crore to Rs. 5 crore. Similarly, for silver medalists from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 3 crore and for bronze medalists from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore.

For the Asian Games and Asian Para Games, the prize money for gold medalists has been increased from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 4 crore, for silver medalists from Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 2.5 crore and for bronze medalists from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 1.5 crore.

Similarly, the prize money for gold medalists of the Commonwealth Games has been increased from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 3 crore, for silver medalists from Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 2 crore and for bronze medalists from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 1 crore.

MLA from Shimla Urban assembly segment Harish Janartha was also present on the occasion.

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Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launches CM Dashboard
Good Governance is key focus for Government: CM

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched CM Dashboard to monitor the progress and performance of 66 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of 8 departments developed by the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance here today. He said that under this initiative, 8 KPIs of Rural Development, 8 KPIs of Public Works Department, 6 KPIs of Jal Shakti Vibhag, 7 KPIs of Revenue, 4 KPIs of Women and Child Development, 10 KPIs of Education, 5 KPIs of Tribal Development and 18 KPIs of Health Departments have been covered. He said that this step will go a long way in accelerating the pace of development and providing accurate information of the beneficiaries of different departments on one platform. He asked the departments to report accurate data to take precise decisions to ensure welfare of the people. He said that he would personally monitor the progress of various welfare schemes through this Dashboard regularly.

The Chief Minister said that this move of the Government will enhance transparency and accountability in the governance besides streamlining data collection and analysis. He said that this will also reduce the administrative burden on officials. He said that this CM Dashboard had data of above 11 lakh beneficiaries of these departments. He said that all the government departments would be brought under the ambit of CM Dashboard and the number of KPIs would also be enhanced. He said that once this process is complete, Boards and Corporations would also be incorporated on this platform.

The Chief Minister said that the State government is bringing reforms to ensure the welfare of the beneficiaries and modern technology can prove to be a key instrument in addressing the future challenges. He said that the Government was focusing on good governance and the departments must make earnest efforts to provide quality services to the people of the State nearer to their homes.

He also launched the District Good Governance Index on the occasion.

Earlier, he also inaugurated the beautification work of Armsdale Building phase-III.

MLAs Sanjay Awasthy, Suresh Kumar and Ranjeet Singh Rana, Principal Media Advisor to Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Additional Chief Secretaries K.K. Pant and Onkar Chand Sharma and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

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CM launches ‘Mere Shahar Ke 100 Ratna’ programme to offer free coaching to 6800 students
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today launched the ‘Mere Shahar Ke 100 Ratna’ programme, an initiative aimed at providing free coaching for various competitive examinations to 6,800 students across Himachal Pradesh. Under this programme, CRACK Academy will offer free coaching to 100 meritorious students from each Assembly constituency, with an estimated investment of Rs. 34 crore.

To ensure a fair selection process, tests will be conducted in schools and colleges of each constituency, where students from Class VI and above can participate. The top 100 students from each constituency will receive free coaching while the next 200 students will be given a 75 percent concession and the following 500 students will receive a 50 percent concession. The company will provide handholding these children until they achieve their goal.

The state government will extend full support to CRACK Academy for the successful implementation of this initiative. While the Academy will prepare the test papers, the Education eepartment will oversee the conduct of examinations.

To raise awareness among students and parents, the Chief Minister also launched a mega awareness campaign. The programme was initially piloted in Jawalamukhi Assembly constituency of Kangra district, where students from 50 schools participated and currently 220 selected students from Jawalamukhi are receiving merit-based coaching under this scheme.

The Chief Minister said “This initiative will not only benefit talented students but also generate employment opportunities in the State. CRACK Academy plans to establish over 90 coaching centers, directly employing 5,000 people while creating additional indirect employment.”

Academy will also invest Rs. 1.5 crore for the renovation and maintenance of the library at Ridge, Shimla. The Chief Minister directed the Academy to preserve the heritage value of the building while equipping it with modern technology to enhance learning facilities for students.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Secretary Education Rakesh Kanwar, Director, Higher Education Amarjeet Sharma and Director, Elementary Education Ashish Kohli were also present on the occasion among others.

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Himachal Govt. plans crackdown on drugs: CM sets 6 months deadline to dismantle drugs network
No drug traffickers to be spared: CM

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Police Department to initiate a massive crackdown to dismantle the drug network in the State in a mission mode for the next six months. While presiding over a high level meeting of senior officers of Police and other departments here today, the Chief Minister instructed to take stringent action against the drug peddlers and categorically stated that no one involved in the drug trade will be spared. Taking a firm stand against the drug traffickers, Shri Sukhu also ordered strict action against the government employees found involved in such illegal activities. He said, "Government employees against whom concrete evidences of drug smuggling has been found will be terminated from the service."

Sh. Sukhu emphasized on implementing the PIT-NDPS Act in letter and spirit to ensure stern action against the drug peddlers. He asked the officers, "Why is there delay in processing the PIT-NDPS cases. Review all the cases within one week and dispose of them." He said that the present State Government has adopted zero tolerance policy against drug menace. He said that the properties of the drug peddlers and their associates must be attached and directed the Police Department to investigate the bank accounts of the suspects. He said that Anti Narcotics Task Force would be strengthened and additionally, a Special Task Force would also be notified to combat the drug menace headed by a senior police officer.

Reiterating his commitment to secure the future of the youth and eradicating the drug abuse from the State, the Chief Minister said that he will personally monitor the anti-drug campaign on a regular basis. He also instructed the Police Department to conduct mapping of drug peddlers and victims upto the panchayat level and submit the report by 15th March, 2025.He said that Panchayat representatives and Nambardars would also be roped in to combat this menace. He asked the senior Police Officers to ensure stern action against the police officers who are reluctant to register cases in drug trafficking. He further directed the police officers to take all the NDPS cases to its logical end and conduct a vigorous forward and backward linkage of the cases to uproot the entire drug network.

The Chief Minister said that the state Government would make efforts to establish Special Courts to fast track the NDPS cases and provisions of Parole strictly. He said that the State Government would introduce HP Anti Drug Act in the upcoming budget session of Vidhan Sabha which will clearly differentiate between the victims and drug peddlers. He said that the State Government is also establishing a state-of-art rehabilitation centre for the victims in Kotla Behar of Sirmaur district.

Sh. Sukhu also directed to enhance the vigilance in Pharma Companies and said that the licenses would be cancelled for those companies who are found involved in illegal sale of psychotropic drugs. He said that FIR would be registered against such companies and renewal of the licenses would not be allowed. He also stressed for launching of a massive awareness campaign against drug abuses in the State so that people could be aware about the ill effects of drugs.

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Additional Chief Secretaries K.K. Pant and Onkar Chand Sharma, Director General of Police Dr. Atul Verma, Director General (CID) S.R. Ojha, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Secretaries Ashish Singhmar and Rajesh Sharma, Commissioner State Taxes and Excise Dr.Yunus and other senior officers also attended the meeting.

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CM meets Congress-in-Charge Rajni Patil
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Rajni Patil at the State Congress office, Rajiv Bhavan, here today. He welcomed her to the State and discussed various party related matters.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, HPCC Chief Pratibha Singh, State Congress Co-in-charge Vidit Chaudhary, Cabinet Ministers and other senior leaders of the Congress Party were also present on this occasion. -0-
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Government committed to provide transparent governance to the people: Chief Minister
The process of transferring officials who have been holding sensitive positions in various departments for a long time has once again begun. After completing the process of transfers in the State Taxes and Excise Department, along with a few other departments, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has issued directives in this regard and asked the departments to prepare for the process.

Chairing a meeting at the Secretariat here today, the Chief Minister stated that the state government is committed to providing accountable and transparent governance to the people of the state. He said that the present State Government has taken numerous steps in this direction over the past two years.

He directed the Industries Department to include the Himachal Pradesh Forest Development Corporation in the auctioning process of mining leases. He also said that the State Government would formulate new rules for utilizing DMFT (District Mineral Foundation Trust) funds so that the money can be used for the welfare of the underprivileged sections of society.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that during the BJP government’s tenure two years ago, the State Government’s revenue from mining was Rs. 240 crore. But due to pragmatic efforts of the current State Government, it increased to Rs 314 crore in the last financial year and is expected to reach Rs. 360 crore by the end of the current financial year. This means that within just two years, the revenue is set to grow by Rs. 120 crore.

He further stated that the State Government is making efforts to promote green industries in Himachal Pradesh and is encouraging investments in tourism, hydropower, food processing, data storage, and the dairy sector. These initiatives will not only help in environmental conservation but will also provide employment and self-employment opportunities for the local youth.

The Chief Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing affordable electricity to industries, mentioning that Himachal Pradesh continues to have cheaper electricity than neighboring states.

Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Additional Chief Secretary R.D. Nazeem, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Director Industries Dr. Yunus and other senior officiers attended the meeting.

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