Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a high-level committee for the hill state to assess losses caused by the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), damages due to natural disasters, inadequate free power from hydropower projects, and revenue losses under the GST regime.
He raised the issue during the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi under the theme "Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat". The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Governing Council deliberated on strategies to translate the vision of Viksit Bharat into measurable outcomes and ensure inclusive growth across the country. Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh continues to contribute significantly to the country's growth despite these limitations. He suggested that the proposed high-level committee submit a detailed report to the Government of India so that the state receives its rightful share. He said the discontinuation of RDG had dealt a major blow to the state's economy.
The Chief Minister stated that the Rs 25,000 crore provided to the state was insufficient to compensate for the losses and demanded that the amount be increased to Rs 50,000 crore to ensure smooth implementation of development works. Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh is the country's green frontier and deserves special attention from the Government of India to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat in its true spirit.
Referring to a study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, he said Himachal Pradesh provides ecological services worth Rs 90,000 crore to the nation but is not being adequately compensated for its contribution towards preserving ecology.
He said the state was not receiving its fair share of free power from the 13,000 MW of hydropower generated in Himachal Pradesh. He added that the state is yet to receive arrears amounting to Rs 7,000 crore from BBMB. He also stated that Himachal Pradesh continues to suffer from recurring natural disasters and is still awaiting the Rs 1,500 crore special assistance announced by the Centre. He further said the state had incurred revenue losses of nearly Rs 25,000 crore over the past eight years due to the GST regime.
Highlighting the state's achievements in human development, Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh was declared fully literate in 2025 and secured the sixth position in the 2026 Performance Grading Index for school education. He noted that the state ranked 21st in the index when his government came to power in 2022.
He said the state has achieved a gross enrolment ratio of 43 per cent in higher education, which is significantly higher than the national average of 28.4 per cent. He added that Himachal Pradesh has also maintained strong performance in the National Family Health Survey-6.
The Chief Minister said the state is poised to become a leader in green energy through initiatives such as solar power, green hydrogen, pumped storage and battery storage projects. He urged the Centre to safeguard the interests of the state while implementing the ambitious Chandrabhaga-Ravi-Beas Link Project for improved water management.
Sukhu also highlighted the Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana, which aims to identify 1.5 lakh of the poorest families in the state and help make them self-reliant. He stressed the need to improve air connectivity to attract more domestic and international tourists and sought support for the expansion of Gaggal Airport so that Himachal Pradesh can become part of the "One State, One International Destination" initiative.
The Chief Minister also emphasised better coordination among the Health, Women and Child Development, and Education departments for the effective implementation of child nutrition programmes. He said data sharing between ASHA and Anganwadi workers is essential and called for an integrated, AI-enabled, IT-based, data-driven monitoring and decision-making system.
Sukhu also briefed the meeting about the state's aggressive anti-chitta campaign aimed at curbing substance abuse and sought support in strengthening intelligence-sharing and inter-agency coordination.
Chief Secretary K.K. Pant accompanied the Chief Minister at the meeting. Chief Ministers of various states, Lieutenant Governors, Union Ministers, special invitees, and the Vice Chairman, members and CEO of NITI Aayog were also present.
Also read: MT Settebello attack: Hamirpur seafarer's family seeks probe
Follow us
