Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today held discussions with legislators from Shimla and Kangra districts during the second and final session of the two-day meeting convened to determine the priorities of MLAs for the financial year 2026–27. The Chief Minister said that the present State Government was laying special emphasis on health, education, the rural economy, tourism, energy, food processing and data storage.
He stated that the government has taken several path-breaking decisions to strengthen the rural economy. Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to offer the highest minimum support price for milk and naturally grown wheat, barley, maize and turmeric. He said that these measures would significantly strengthen the rural economy and bring about a marked improvement in the standard of living of rural residents.
Referring to a recent national survey, the Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh has made remarkable progress in providing quality education, securing the 5th position among states after ranking 21st in 2021, thereby surpassing 16 states.
He added that the government was equipping health institutions with advanced medical technology to provide specialized healthcare services. Robotic surgery facilities have already been introduced in two medical colleges in the state, and this facility will soon be extended to all medical colleges for the benefit of patients.
Sh. Sukhu further said that the government has undertaken investor-friendly reform initiatives to promote industrial development, as a result of which Himachal Pradesh has been recognized as a “Top Achiever State” under the ‘Business Reform Action Plan–2024’ of the Government of India.
He added that the state was emerging as a progressive leader in digital innovation, with increased adoption of digitization and e-filing in government functioning. For its outstanding achievement in citizen-centric digital service delivery, Himachal Pradesh has been honoured with the “People First Integration Award.”
He said that according to the 2025 report prepared in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, Himachal Pradesh has achieved an average Human Development Index of 0.78, which was significantly higher than the National average of 0.63.
This, he said, reflects that even a hill state with limited resources can achieve substantial progress through sound policies and active public participation.The Chief Minister urged the legislators to submit their development priorities in the prescribed format to the Planning Department at the earliest so that these could be incorporated in the budget for the financial year 2026-27.
He also directed officers to resolve the issues raised by the MLAs on a priority basis. He called upon the legislators to extend their active cooperation to make the state government’s “Chitta-Free Himachal” campaign a success.
Shimla District
During the meeting, MLA Mohan Lal Brakta from Rohru thanked the Chief Minister for the historic increase in the support price of milk and the record procurement of apples under the MIS. He urged the government to start B.Ed. classes at Seema College and requested the early completion of under-construction drinking water schemes in his constituency.
MLA Harish Janartha from Shimla Urban sought a separate budget for the construction and repair of link roads in Shimla city and faster execution of drinking water schemes. He also demanded expediting the work on underground ducting in Shimla and expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the initiatives undertaken for the beautification of the city.
Kangra District
During the priority-setting meetings, legislators from various constituencies of Kangra district placed their key demands and development concerns before the Chief Minister .MLA Nurpur Ranbir Nikka urged the completion of construction work of the Mother and Child Hospital in Nurpur and the filling of vacant doctor posts in the Civil Hospital.
He also demanded demarcation in the areas along the Punjab border to stop illegal mining within the boundaries of Kangra district.MLA Indora Malendra Rajan raised the issue of damage caused by floods during the monsoon season and demanded that compensation be provided to the affected people at the earliest.
He urged that channelization work be carried out in the area to prevent floods. He also demanded steps to stop the theft of khair trees from the land of Ram Gopal Temple in Damtal and called for the formulation of a sugar policy for sugarcane farmers, provision of incentives and setting up of a sugar mill.
MLA Vikram Singh from Jaswan-Pragpur demanded that the Rakkar-Shantla road be included under the CRIF scheme. He urged the government to expedite the construction of the Public Works Department Executive Engineer’s office building at Kotla Behar and requested strengthening of the power supply system in the Chanour Industrial Area.
MLA Sanjay Rattan from Jwalamukhi raised the issue of constructing a heliport in the constituency. He sought the establishment of a polytechnic or an ITI in the area and requested augmentation of facilities at Khundian Hospital. He also demanded allocation of funds to improve electricity and water supply at Jawalamukhi Hospital and urged early completion of two under-construction bridges in the constituency.
In addition, he requested the release of additional funds for the repair of roads damaged during disasters.MLA Vipin Singh Parmar from Sulah demanded the early completion of two bridges under construction over the Bair Khad. He urged expediting the construction of buildings of Civil Hospital Bhawarna, the Polytechnic College, and ITI Rajhun.
He also requested repair and restoration of kuhls (traditional irrigation channels) in the area.MLA Pawan Kajal from Kangra emphasized the need to improve the quality of education and strengthen healthcare services in the constituency. He also requested measures to improve the condition of kuhls in the area.
MLA Ashish Butail from Palampur expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the government’s efforts to promote tourism activities in Palampur. He raised the issue of increased water bills in the Municipal Corporation area and urged expediting the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding School and a library in Palampur. He also requested further strengthening of healthcare services in the constituency.
MLA Kishori Lal from Baijnath urged expediting the construction work of the Holi–Utrala road. He requested strengthening of health services in the area and filling of vacant posts. He also demanded the provision of new buses for the Baijnath HRTC depot.
Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board, Bhawani Singh Pathania, welcomed the legislators for participating in the priority meetings and said that such meetings are held every year, reflecting the strength of the state’s robust democratic system.
Agriculture Minister Chaudhary Chandra Kumar, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma, HPTDC Chairman Raghubir Singh Bali, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar, along with administrative secretaries and heads of various departments, were present on the occasion.