Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu chaired the 50th meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Tribal Advisory Council here today. He said that to create livelihood opportunities through the transport sector in tribal areas, the state government would provide upto 40 percent subsidy to eligible youth on the purchase of buses and traveler vehicles along-with four month's exemption from the road tax.
The Chief Minister said that the state government was giving top priority for creating employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth. To promote self-employment in the solar energy sector in tribal regions, the government would provide interest subsidy for setting up private solar power projects ranging from 250 kW to One MW.
Sh. Sukhu directed officers to complete tender process for development works in snow-bound areas at the earliest, so that construction activities can begin in around March-April once the weather conditions improves. He said that to permanently resolve power supply issues in Pangi and Spiti, solar power plants of 1.2 MW at Dhanwas (Pangi) and 2 MW at Rong-tong (Spiti) would be made functional soon.
The Chief Minister said that the state government was also making concerted efforts to start the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Shipki-La and the matter has been strongly taken up with the Central Government. He said that steps were also being taken to resume trade activities with Tibet (under Chinese occupation).
He said that due to the continuous efforts of the state government, the tribal areas of the state have witnessed unprecedented development. These regions today show greater prosperity as compared to other parts of the state. The average per capita income in tribal districts was higher than in other districts.
These regions not only have economic strength but also lead in social indicators. The male-female sex ratio was also better than the state average. The Chief Minister said that the government was also committed to protect the rights of women, especially in tribal regions.
He announced the construction of a new road at Nigulsari, the bottleneck on NH-5, a sinking zone and marred by landslides. He said that the government was also making sincere efforts to strengthen uninterrupted connectivity in Kinnaur district.
He said that approving pending Nautor cases in tribal areas was a priority of state government. The state Cabinet has already approved the proposal, which has been sent to the Governor.
Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, around 1,039 land titles have been distributed till September 2025. For the convenience of people from Kinnaur and Spiti, the construction of a Tribal Bhawan in Rampur was also in progress.
Apart from this, the Nurpur Tribal Bhawan would also be dedicated to the public soon. The Pangi valley was declared as the first Natural Farming Sub-Division of the state. Giving priority to Scheduled Areas, the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Samman Nidhi Yojna was launched in Spiti in February, 2024.
The Chief Minister said that the state government have established adequate educational and health facilities in tribal regions. It includes two Regional Hospitals, six Civil Hospitals, five Community Health Centres, 46 Primary Health Centres, three Ayurvedic Hospitals, 73 Ayurvedic Dispensaries, 48 Veterinary Hospitals, 118 Veterinary Dispensaries and five Sheep & Wool Extension Centres.
He said that a total of 3,148 km of motorable roads have been constructed in tribal areas, of which 61 percent were paved. During the meeting, various development issues concerning tribal regions were discussed in detail.
The Chief Minister issued necessary directions to the officers and said that any negligence in tribal area development would not be tolerated. Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the state government was committed to the development of tribal regions.
A provision of Rs. 638.73 crore has been made for the Tribal Area Development Programme for 2025-26. He said that due to land issues during the previous government, the construction of new campuses for the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in Pangi, Bharmour and Lahaul were delayed.
Land has now been transferred for all three schools. Construction work was underway at the Pangi and Lahaul schools, while CPWD was completing the required formalities for the Bharmour school. Additional residential facilities were also being constructed at the EMRS in Nichar. He also shared detailed information about development works being implemented in tribal regions.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur, MLAs Dr. Janak Raj, Anuradha Rana, Vivek Sharma, Sudarshan Singh Babloo and Hardeep Singh Bawa, non-official members of the Tribal Advisory Council, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretaries K.K. Pant and Onkar Chand Sharma, DGP Ashok Tiwari, Secretaries, Heads of Departments and senior officers were present in the meeting.