SHIMLA-7 Feb, 2026

State Govt. earns Rs. 26,683 Crore in three years from its own resources: CM

• Chairs MLA priority meeting with Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today held discussions with MLAs from Kullu, Mandi and Shimla during the first session of the second day of MLA Priority Meetings for the financial year 2026-27. The meeting focused on the development priorities of the respective constituencies.

The Chief Minister said that during the last three years, the present state government has generated Rs. 26,683 crore in revenue from its own resources. He said that the state earned a financial benefit of about Rs. 401 crore from acquiring ownership of the Wildflower Hall Hotel and it was expected to earn around Rs. 20 crore annually from it. He said that due to the efforts of the present government, the royalty share for the Karcham-Wangtoo Hydropower Project has increased from 12 percent to 18 percent, which would provide the state with an additional income of nearly Rs. 150 crore every year.

The Chief Minister further said that under the 15th Finance Commission, Himachal Pradesh received a total of Rs. 37,199 crore as Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), which was released in a gradually decreasing manner. The state received Rs. 10,249 crore in 2021-22, Rs. 9,377 crore in 2022-23, Rs. 8,057 crore in 2023-24, Rs. 6,249 crore in 2024-25 and Rs. 3,257 crore in 2025-26. He said that the decision of the 16th Finance Commission to discontinue the RDG would result in a loss of nearly Rs. 50,000 crore to Himachal. He said this decision was unjust for a hill state with difficult geographical conditions and said it would adversely affect development works, welfare schemes and the payment of salaries and pensions. He urged the Central Government to restore the RDG and provide special financial assistance, keeping in view the state’s unique circumstances.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that to promote border tourism and allied activities have been started at the Shipki-La Pass on the India-China border. He said that although the Union Budget 2026-27 announced a “Buddhist Circuit” for the North-Eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, which was a major centre of Buddhist culture has been excluded, which was discriminatory and a step motherly treatment with the state.

He said that despite having world-famous tourist destinations, no specific budgetary provision has been made for tourism development in the state.

*District Kullu

During the meeting, MLA Manali Bhuvneshwar Gaur said that the discontinuation of the RDG was not in the interest of the state and appealed for collective efforts to convince the Central Government to restore it. He demanded the construction of an ice-skating rink in Manali, strengthening of the Left Bank Road, an increase in police personnel during the tourist season and the provision of small machines for snow clearance.

MLA Kullu Sunder Singh Thakur demanded the expansion of Kullu Airport and thanked the Chief Minister for starting heli-taxi services in the area. He requested timely completion of roads approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and sought the construction of an alternative road to Manikaran to ease traffic congestion. He also urged an increase in staff at the Mother and Child Hospital in Kullu.

MLA Banjar Surender Shourie called for strengthening the road network in the Banjar area and resolving power-related issues by upgrading the Bajaura sub-station. He also demanded improvement of the Aut-Luhri road and the introduction of water sports activities at Larji.

MLA Anni Lokender Kumar requested the strengthening of facilities at the Model Health Institution in Anni. He called for strict action against drug mafias, an increase in police personnel to improve traffic management and the installation of anti-hail guns in the area to benefit orchardists.

*Mandi District

MLA Karsog Deep Raj raised the issue of constructing buildings for the Karsog ITI and Polytechnic College. He requested an increase in bus services in the area and asked for faster progress on road construction works.

MLA Sundernagar Rakesh Jamwal urged the authorities to speed up the construction of buildings for CHC Nihri and PHC Balag. He requested a water supply from the Sutlej River for Nihri, water facilities for Daher, and improvements in the sewerage system in Sundernagar. He also asked for the completion of the ITI Daher building and the Sundernagar Indoor Stadium.

MLA Nachan Vinod Kumar demanded the construction of foot over bridges damaged by disasters in the area. He asked for the early completion of the indoor stadium being built at the Degree College. He also requested that the Chailchowk-Pandoh road be included under CRIF funding. He thanked the government for approving the improvement of the Mandi-Janjehli road.

MLA Drang Purna Singh Thakur requested improvements to local roads and an increase in bus services. He raised the issue of losses faced by local people due to the four-lane road between Padhar and Mandi. He also asked for faster construction of the Jwalapur PHC building.

MLA Jogindernagar Prakash Rana asked for closed roads to be reopened and for staff deployment in proportion to the size of the constituency. He also requested improvements in water and electricity supply.

MLA Dharampur Chandrashekhar urged the completion of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bridge, which would connect Jogindernagar and Dharampur constituencies. He requested improvements in health services at Dharampur, Sandhol and Tihra health institutions. He also asked for a plan to prevent annual losses at the Dharampur bus stand. Additionally, he requested the establishment of milk collection centres and a chilling plant in the area.

MLA Balh Inder Singh Gandhi demanded the early completion of unfinished culverts and bridges in the Balh constituency. He also requested the strengthening of drinking water supply projects in the area.

MLA Mandi Anil Sharma requested the construction of a Mandi bypass road for heavy vehicles. He demanded the relocation of Mandi Jail. While appreciating the restoration of drinking water schemes damaged during disasters within six months, he asked for the Tarna storage tank to be shifted to another location. He also requested a solution to the electricity problem in Kotli.

MLA Sarkaghat Dilip Thakur demanded the completion of the incomplete building of Sarkaghat Civil Hospital and the filling of vacant doctor posts. He asked for the early completion of the drinking water project under construction and requested improvements to roads damaged during disasters.

*Shimla District

MLA Chopal Balbir Verma demanded improvement of the Sanj-Deha-Chopal road. He also requested that vacant posts in government offices in the area be filled. In addition, he asked for a better electricity supply during snowfall, with power to be provided from the Shillai supply line.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission Bhawani Singh Pathania, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar along with other administrative secretaries, heads of departments and senior officers were present in the meeting.

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I&PR department mourns demise of mother of Joint Director

Director, Information and Public Relations Department Rajeev Kumar and all the officers and officials of the Information and Public Relations department have expressed grief over the demise of Surekha Parashar, mother of Joint Director Ajay Parashar, who passed away at Chandigarh after a prolonged illness.

Conveying their sympathies with the family, the department assured full support to the bereaved family members in this hour of sorrow and prayed for granting peace to the departed soul while extending their condolences to the grief-stricken Parashar family.