In a historic milestone, the state-level Himachal Day was celebrated for the first time in the remote and scenic Killar region of Pangi Valley in Chamba district.
A large number of residents gathered at the helipad ground to mark the 78th Himachal Day celebrations. Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu extended heartfelt greetings to the people of the state and paid tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Y.S. Parmar, for their crucial roles in achieving statehood.
The Chief Minister unfurled the National Flag and received the ceremonial salute, with a parade comprising six contingents led by IPS officer Ravi Nandan. These included units from the Second Indian Reserve Battalion, women's police, home guards, traffic police, NCC cadets from Government Senior Secondary School Killar, and the Home Guards Band.
During his address, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of improving road connectivity, stating that the Udaipur-Killar road project is a top priority. He mentioned that the matter has been actively pursued with the Union Government and the tender process is nearing completion.
He directed the district administrations of Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba to expedite the necessary formalities for the construction to commence. Sukhu also declared Pangi as Himachal's first natural farming sub-division and announced a revolving fund of ₹5 crore to support the initiative.
A minimum support price of ₹60 per kg was also announced for naturally grown barley, along with plans to establish a milk processing plant with a daily capacity of 10,000 litres in the region.
To strengthen the power supply, he shared that various projects worth ₹62 crore are underway, including ₹5 crore for laying an 11 KV line from Tindi to Shaur and ₹45.5 crore for a 33 KV line from Thirot to Killar. Acknowledging the region’s unique challenges, he announced that Sach would be granted sub-tehsil status and committed funds for constructing Mahila Mandal Bhawans.
He also revealed plans to improve transportation with 20 new bus permits, a 40 per cent subsidy on bus purchases, and a four-month exemption from road tax.
The Chief Minister announced the opening of a Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Pangi and the transformation of the Civil Hospital in Killar into an Adarsh Swasthya Sansthan. A 50 per cent waiver on registration fees for homestays and ₹1.5 crore for link road improvements were also declared.
Sukhu recalled that Indira Gandhi was the first Prime Minister to visit Pangi in 1984, which spurred development in the region and demonstrated the Congress government’s commitment to tribal areas.
He spoke about the government’s success in stabilizing the state's economy through policy reforms and mentioned that six out of ten guarantees have already been fulfilled. Support prices are now being offered for milk, wheat, maize, and turmeric under natural farming.
Over 1.58 lakh farmers practicing natural farming have been certified in the state. A one-time settlement policy for farmers under the Agriculture Interest Subvention Scheme will allow those with loans up to ₹3 lakh to repay them with the state covering 50% of the interest.
Sukhu emphasized Himachal’s goal of becoming a Green Energy State by March 31, 2026, with initiatives to promote electric vehicles and solar energy. In tribal regions, residents will receive a 5% interest subsidy to set up solar power plants ranging from 250 kW to 1 MW. He urged people in Pangi Valley to benefit from this opportunity.
Linking environmental conservation with employment, the government has allocated ₹100 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana.
This will provide groups with ₹6.40 lakh over five years, enabling women and youth to earn a livelihood while protecting forests. In tourism, Himachal Pradesh was recognized by the India Today Group, with Bir Billing awarded 'Best Adventure Destination' and Dharamshala named 'Best Mountain Destination'.
The state also won three National Panchayat Awards, with Sikander Panchayat from Hamirpur’s Bamsan Block receiving second prize for water management.
For the first time, Rajava Lok Adalats have been organised to fast-track legal cases, successfully resolving 2.75 lakh mutation cases, over 16,000 partition cases, 27,000 demarcation cases, and more than 7,000 correction cases.
Sukhu also highlighted the government's efforts to revolutionise the healthcare sector, with ₹1,570 crore earmarked for modern medical equipment. PET Scan and MRI machines will soon be installed at IGMC Shimla and Tanda Medical College.
He shared that the education department has been restructured, with the Directorate of School Education overseeing education from pre-nursery to Class 12 and the Directorate of Higher Education managing colleges. These reforms aim to boost efficiency and administration.
The CM also announced that the police department is intensifying efforts to dismantle drug networks in the state, with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force being strengthened and a special task force headed by a senior officer being formed.
Several dignitaries were present at the event, including Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, MLAs Sunder Thakur and Neeraj Nayyar, HP State Cooperative Bank Chairman Devendra Shyam, the Chief Minister’s OSD Ritesh Capret, APMC Chamba Chairman Lalit Thakur, and Congress leaders Yashwant Khanna and Surjit Bharmauri.
Senior administrative officials including Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Sharma, Secretary GAD Rajesh Sharma, DGP Dr. Atul Verma, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal, and SP Abhishek Yadav were also in attendance.
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