Himachal Pradesh Government

CM calls for scientific studies on water evaporation and melting of glaciers
Reviews ongoing construction projects in the energy sector

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today chaired a review meeting of various departments and undertakings related to the energy sector here.

The Chief Minister directed to conduct a thorough study on water evaporation from various dams and reservoirs during the summer season. He said that the increasing level of haze in different cities of the State was a matter of concern and emphasized that a scientific assessment on this issue was the need of the hour. He further stated that an in-depth study should be conducted to examine whether there was any co-relation between water evaporation from reservoirs and the rising incidents of cloudbursts.

Sh. Sukhu also instructed officials to analyze the rate of glacier melting in the state and its implications for flood management. He noted that accelerated melting of glaciers adversely impacts the ecological system and disrupts the natural environmental balance.

The Chief Minister reviewed various ongoing construction projects in the energy sector and issued necessary directions to the officers.

He held detailed discussions on smart meters and directed officials to carry out feeder billing mapping. The Chief Minister informed that the completion of construction work on 13 hydroelectric projects has enhanced the State’s power generation capacity by 1,229 megawatts.

On the occasion, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Advocate General Anup Rattan, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar and senior officers were present.

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Government dismisses services of 11 police personnel involved in Chitta trade
Taking stringent action, the State Government dismissed the services of 11 police personnel from service today who were found dealing in Chitta. This action has been taken in line with the State Government’s zero-tolerance policy against drugs, after these personnel were found to be involved in cases under the NDPS Act. The dismissals have been carried out under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India.

Presiding over a high-level meeting in Shimla today, the Chief Minister stated that the police have a primary responsibility to take strict action against chitta and drug suppliers. Adding that if police personnel were themselves found involved in drug-related activities, such a stringent action becomes inevitable. The Chief Minister made it clear that no person involved in chitta trafficking or illegal drug trade will be spared and that strict action was being taken against government employees found involved in such activities.

"No one is above the law, and those who will promote the illegal trade of Chitta and other illegal drugs won't be spared at any cost, may he or she be of any rank or file", said Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu sending a clear and strong message that there is no place in the police force for those who violate the law while being entrusted with its enforcement.

The dismissed personnel include Inspector Neeraj Kumar posted in the 1^st Indian Reserve Battalion, Bangarh, Constable Shubham Thakur posted in District Bilaspur, Constable Kapil of the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion, Pandoh, Constable Shiv Kumar posted in SDRF, Constable Lakshya Chauhan posted in Shimla District Police, Constable/Driver Vishal Thakur posted in SV & ACB, Constable Gaurav Verma of the 4th Indian Reserve Battalion, Jungleberry, Constable/Driver Sandeep Rana of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion, Sakoh, Constable Ankush Kumar posted in SDRF, Constable Rajat Chandel posted in State CID and Constable Rahul Verma posted in Shimla District Police. All were found to be involved in NDPS Act cases.

The Chief Minister directed all departments to prepare detailed reports of employees involved in chitta trafficking and related activities and submit the same to the Chief Secretary at the earliest. He also instructed that reports regarding properties acquired through drug money by such employees be prepared and forwarded to the government. The State Government has activated the emergency number 112 for sharing any information related to Chitta and appealed to the public to come forward and share information without fear.

Director General of Police Ashok Tiwari gave a detailed presentation on the actions taken by the Police Department against chitta.

It is pertinent to mention here that on the directions of the Chief Minister, the State Government has announced attractive rewards for providing information related to chitta syndicate. A reward ofRs. 10,000 for information leading to the recovery of up to two grams, Rs. 25,000 for five grams, Rs. 50,000 for 25 grams, Rs. 5 lakh for one kilogram, and Rs. 10 lakh for information related to seizures of more than one kilogram of chitta. Informers providing information about major drug syndicates will be rewarded with amounts exceeding Rs. 5 lakh.

The meeting was attended by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary C. Palrasu, Advocate General Anup Rattan, Director Rural Development Raghav Sharma, and other senior officers.

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State Government gifts chilgoza saplings to Bhutan, CM flags off vehicle
Strengthening the long-standing friendly and amicable relations between India and Bhutan, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today flagged off a vehicle carrying Chilgoza (pine nut) saplings as a gift to kingdom of Bhutan from the State Secretariat today.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that India and Bhutan shares a warm and cordial relations and this green initiative will further strengthen the bond of friendship between two countries.

He said that Himachal Pradesh and Bhutan have similar Himalayan natural heritage. The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department would also provide Chilgoza seeds worth Rs. 5 lakh to Bhutan soon. In addition, training would be given to Bhutan’s forest officials on how to grow Chilgoza plants. A team from Bhutan’s Forest Department would soon visit Himachal Pradesh for this purpose.

The state government would involve local women’s groups in Chilgoza-based activities and provide them with financial support. Efforts related to Chilgoza cultivation and development would be further expanded.

The Chief Minister said that earlier also, 50 kilograms of Chilgoza seeds had been provided to Bhutan.

Chilgoza is a unique and highly valuable species of the western Himalayas. It is closely linked with environmental protection, biodiversity and local livelihood.

The Chief Minister said that the present state government was taking several steps to promote forest conservation and expand forest cover. As a result of government efforts, the forest area of the state has increased by about 55 square kilometers. This year, plantation work was being carried out on around 9,000 hectares of forest land under various schemes and projects, with 60 percent fruit-bearing plants.

To increase the green cover 600 hectares of plantation was being done on barren hills under Chief Minister Van Vistar Yojana and for forest protection and management, 2,019 Van Mitras have been appointed in since 2019.

Schemes such as the Rajiv Gandi Van Samvardhan Yojana and the Green Adoption Scheme were also being implemented for increasing the green cover.

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice-Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation Kehar Singh Khachi, MLAs Captain Ranjit Singh Rana and Malender Rajan, Chairman of the State Haj Committee Dildar Ali Bhatt, Advocate General Anup Rattan, Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HOFF) Sanjay Sood and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

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Bada and Faste Gram Panchayats of Nadaun Assembly constituency call on CM
- Encourages to adopt natural farming practices
A delegation from the Bada and Faste Gram Panchayats of the Nadaun Assembly constituency met the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.

On the occasion the Chief Minister discussed various development works being carried out in the Nadaun Assembly constituency and also took feedback from the delegation. He said that the foundation stone for the Spice Park to be set up in Bada Panchayat would be laid soon.

The Chief Minister encouraged the delegation to adopt natural farming methods. He said that the Nadaun area has great potential for growing turmeric through natural farming.

Sh. Sukhu said that the state government has fixed the purchase price of wheat grown through natural farming at Rs. 60 per kilogram. On 15 April 2025, the Pangi sub-division was declared a completely natural farming sub-division. The government is also providing a support price of Rs. 90 per kilogram for raw turmeric and Rs. 60 per kilogram for barley grown in the Pangi valley.

He said that Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to fix a minimum support price for crops grown through natural farming.

The Chief Minister urged the delegation to spread awareness about the government’s public welfare schemes among the general public so that more people can get benefitted from them.-0-

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Chief Minister directs ensure comfort and safety of tourists
Rules must be strictly followed to maintain quality and safety of food

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today here issued instructions to the Municipal Corporation Shimla to improve tourist facilities and cleanliness in the city. After visiting Mall Road in Shimla and other areas on Saturday evening, he said it must be ensured that vendors do not charge more than the fixed prices for food items and other goods.

He said that the rules and standards set by the Directorate of Health Safety and Regulation and the Food Safety and Standards Authority must be strictly enforced to maintain food quality, safety and hygiene. He said that to ensure the safety and proper disposal of the waste, the MC must act proactively and strictly as it strongly affects and represents the image of the state.

The Chief Minister said that tourists visiting Shimla should have an excellent experience, while the needs of local residents must also be given equal importance. He added that the state government is improving public services in urban areas and making them easier to access.

He said that the state government has recently launched the second phase of the Citizen Connect Programme under the theme “Clean City, Prosperous City”. Keeping in mind the growing population, increasing urbanization and changing needs of citizens, the government was setting a new, inclusive and sustainable direction for urban development.

The Chief Minister said that an important decision to benefit small shopkeepers under Mukhyamantri Mukhya Mantri Laghu Dukandar Kalyan Yojana. Under this scheme shopkeepers with outstanding loans of up to rupees one lakh, whose accounts have been declared non-performing assets by banks, would be given a one-time settlement facility of up to rupees one lakh. Similarly, shopkeepers with loans between rupees one lakh and rupees two lakh would receive one-time assistance of up to rupees one lakh.

He said that urban services have been brought into the digital age through the Citizen Service Portal. In the first phase, nine online services were introduced and more than 2.5 lakh citizens have been registered. In the second phase, nine additional services have been added, which would improve transparency and reduce the gap between the government and the public.

The Chief Minister said that under the Digital Door Plate system, every urban household was being given a unique digital identity. This initiative would bring greater transparency and accountability to urban governance.

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CM directs installation of rooftop solar systems on health institutions
Target set to meet 90 Percent of energy demand through renewable sources

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed to install rooftop solar systems on various buildings of health institutions under the Health Department. He said that installing these systems in a phased manner would promote green energy and also help save money.

He said that the State Government has set a target to develop the state as a green energy state and effective steps were being taken to achieve this goal.

The Chief Minister added that State's annual energy consumption is about 13,000 million units. To make the state self-reliant in the energy sector, the government has set a target to meet more than 90 percent of this energy requirement through renewable energy sources.

The State Government has set a target to install solar energy projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts in the state within the next two years. At present, the 32 megawatt Pekhubela Solar Power Project, the 5 megawatt Bhanjal Solar Power Project, and the 10 megawatt Aghlaur Solar Power Project were already producing electricity. The State Government was making special efforts to promote alternative energy projects such as solar energy, green hydrogen, compressed biogas and other renewable sources.

To achieve the goal of making Himachal Pradesh a Green Energy State, the government has given a key role to Gram Panchayats. The Chief Minister has launched the Green Panchayat Programme, under which 500 kilowatt ground-mounted solar power projects would be set up in all panchayats.

In the first phase of approval has been given to install 500 kilowatt solar plants in 24 Gram Panchayats and work has already started in 16 panchayats. The programme aims to generate a total of 150 megawatts of solar power. Under this scheme, 20 per cent of the revenue earned from the electricity produced would be used by the state government to provide financial assistance to orphaned children and widows in the concerned Gram Panchayats.

The Pekhubela Solar Power Project in Una district began commercial operations on 15 April, 2024. So far, it has generated 79.03 million units of electricity and earned Rs. 22.91 crore in revenue. The Bhanjal Solar Power Project in Una started commercial operations on 30 November, 2024 and has so far produced 8.57 million units of electricity, earning Rs. 3.10 crore in revenue. Electricity generation from the Aghlaur Solar Power Project in Una district began on 21 May, 2025 and it has produced 5.89 million units of electricity to date.

At present, three solar power projects with a total capacity of 31 megawatts were in the execution stage, while four projects with a combined capacity of 41 megawatts were in the tender stage. A 200-megawatt solar power plant would also be set up on barren land in the Damtal area of Kangra district.

Solar power projects ranging from 250 kilowatts to 5 megawatts were being allotted on a “first come, first served” basis. The electricity produced by these projects would be purchased by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL). Under this scheme, 547 investors have been allotted ground-mounted solar projects with a total capacity of 595.97 megawatts and power purchase agreements have already been signed for 403.09 megawatts.

In addition, HIMURJA has allotted solar power projects with a total capacity of 728.4 megawatts to HPSEBL. Out of these, 120 ground-mounted solar projects with a combined capacity of 150.13 megawatts have already started operations.

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