Strong Panchayats Are the Foundation of a Strong Himachal : CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
CM administers oath to newly elected Panchayat Pradhans and Up-Pradhans of Kangra district
5 Dariya News
Kangra 18-Jun-2026
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected Panchayat Pradhans and Up-Pradhans of Kangra district and extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
He also administered a collective pledge to the gathering to make Himachal Pradesh free from Chitta and to strengthen the mass movement against drug abuse.Addressing the oath-taking ceremony at Dari ground in Dharamshala the Chief Minister said that Panchayats were the strongest pillar of Indian democracy and played a pivotal role in realizing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj.
The Panchayat representatives serve as the most important link between the Government and the people and bears the responsibility of ensuring transparency, accountability and public participation in implementing schemes related to roads, drinking water, sanitation, education, healthcare and livelihoods while promoting village development, social harmony and public welfare.
The Chief Minister said that the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments marked a historic step towards ensuring women’s participation in PRIs and urban local bodies, an initiative inspired by the vision of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi.
He said the State Government conducted the Panchayat elections in a timely and well-planned manner to ensure that student's education was not disrupted. He also informed that the honorarium of Panchayat representatives had been enhanced.
He said the state government was working with a commitment to bring about systemic reforms and make Himachal Pradesh a self-reliant state over the next five years. Through fiscal discipline, better resource management and control over unnecessary expenditure, the government had generated additional revenue worth thousands of crores during the last three and a half years.
Simultaneously, it had been vigorously pursuing the State’s interests before the Union Government on issues such as green bonus, revenue deficit grant, Shanan Project, Bhakra Beas Management Board and other matters concerning Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister said the State Government had achieved a significant breakthrough in safeguarding Himachal’s interests in the 422 MW Kishau Dam Project.
The Government of India has, in principle, agreed that the beneficiary States of Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi would bear approximately Rs. 2,000 crore cost of Himachal Pradesh’s power component in the project, thereby substantially reducing the financial burden on the State.
He added that upon completion of this project, Himachal Pradesh would receive around 100 crore units of electricity annually, valued at nearly Rs. 600 crore. He also referred to the Supreme Court’s decision in favour of Himachal regarding royalty from the Karcham-Wangtoo hydroelectric project and the successful resolution of hotel Wild Flower Hall case, both of which would significantly strengthen the State’s revenues.
Highlighting the state government’s initiatives to strengthen the rural economy, Sh. Sukhu said the support price for cow milk had been increased from Rs. 32 to Rs. 61 per litre and for buffalo milk from Rs. 47 to Rs. 71 per litre. Alongside promoting natural farming, the Government was providing Minimum Support Prices of Rs. 150 per kilogram for raw turmeric, Rs. 80 per kilogram for wheat and Rs. 50 per kilogram for maize.
The Pangi valley in Chamba district had been declared the State’s first natural farming sub-division, where naturally grown barley was being procured at Rs. 80 per kilogram and ginger was being purchased for the first time at a support price of Rs. 30 per kilogram.He said the Government was creating maximum employment opportunities for youth and announced that recruitment for 800 constable posts in the Police department would commence shortly.
The Chief Minister said the state government had increased wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from Rs. 247 to Rs. 320 per day, resulting in the generation of 407 lakh man-days during the previous financial year against the target of 250 lakh man-days.
He alleged that changes made by the Union Government to the original framework of MGNREGS could cause an annual financial loss of nearly Rs. 800 crore to Himachal Pradesh. He further alleged that the implementation of the Agniveer recruitment scheme in the armed forces and changes in the structure of MGNREGS had reduced employment opportunities in the State.
Describing the growing menace of drug abuse, particularly Chitta, as a serious social challenge, the Chief Minister said the state government was working under a multi-pronged strategy to dismantle the drug network. The Anti-Chitta Jan Andolan, launched on November 15, 2025, had now evolved into a statewide mass movement with active public participation.
He informed that 234 Panchayats had been identified as Chitta-affected which had been placed under a special surveillance, while Panchayat representatives had been urged to work towards making their villages drug-free and to engage youth in sports, education and cultural activities.
Sh. Sukhu said the Government was undertaking comprehensive reforms in education and healthcare sectors to ensure the State’s long-term prosperity. English-medium education had been introduced in the government run schools from Class I, Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools were being established and the CBSE curriculum had been adopted in selected government schools.
More than 5,400 teachers had been recruited and 150 CBSE schools were being developed to provide quality and competitive education to students.In the healthcare sector, the Government had invested Rs. 213.75 crore to modernize hospitals and medical colleges across the State.
High-end MRI machines, CT scanners, digital radiography units, ultrasound systems and digital mammography equipment were being installed to ensure accurate and timely diagnosis and better treatment facilities. In addition, Imaging Archive and Retrieval Technology Systems (PACS) worth Rs. 40 crore were being established in hospitals at Shimla to facilitate digital management of patient's diagnostic records and medical images.
Besides a new tourism policy had been introduced to make tourism a major source of employment in the State.Following the declaration of Kangra district as the tourism capital, expansion of Kangra airport is being undertaken on priority, with compensation of nearly Rs. 2,500 crore already disbursed to affected farmers and compensation also provided to other affected families as per norms.
He further informed that financial assistance for construction of houses for disaster-affected families had been enhanced from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh.Expressing confidence in the newly elected representatives, the Chief Minister urged them to accord the highest priority to public service and work with honesty, transparency and sensitivity to build model Panchayats.
He said strong Panchayats are the foundation of strong villages, a strong Himachal Pradesh and a developed India.Secretary (Agriculture and Panchayati Raj) C. Palrasu apprised the newly elected Panchayat representatives of the policies, programmes and welfare schemes being implemented by the state government.Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa proposed the vote of thanks.
Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Ayush, Youth Services and Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma, MP Anurag Sharma, MLA and HPTDC Chairman R.S. Bali, MLA and Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board Bhawani Singh Pathania, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLAs Sanjay Rattan, Kishori Lal, Kamlesh Thakur, Malender Rajan and Ashish Butail, Chief Advisor to CM (IT) Gokul Butail, Chairman of the School Education Board Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Wool Federation Chairman Manoj Kapoor, Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Chairman Ramchand Pathania, Cooperative Bank Vice Chairman Sanjay Chauhan, Labour Welfare Board Chairman Nardev Singh Kanwar, APMC Chairman Nishu Mongra, OBC Corporation Chairman Prabhat Chaudhary, HRTC Vice Chairman Ajay Verma, former Mayor of Dharamshala Municipal Corporation Devender Jaggi, former MP Viplove Thakur, former MLAs Surender Kaku and Jagjeevan Pal were also present on the occasion.