State Ministers Reject Jairam Thakur’s Claims on Cement Prices
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Shimla, Jan 06, 2026: Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani on Tuesday dismissed allegations made by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur regarding cement price hikes, calling them misleading and baseless.
In a joint statement, the ministers said cement prices are determined by private manufacturers and regulated by the Competition Commission of India, not by the State Government. They clarified that no additional tax has been imposed by the state that could have caused a price increase, adding that cement prices were ₹40–₹50 higher during the previous BJP regime.
They said the present government, under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is taking continuous steps to provide relief from inflation and has implemented several welfare schemes. Referring to disaster relief, they said the state has introduced a special compensation package from its own resources to support affected families and is actively engaged in reconstruction of damaged houses, shops and public infrastructure.
The ministers advised the Leader of the Opposition to verify facts before making statements and urged him to raise the issue of the pending PDNA amount and the ₹1,500 crore relief package announced by the Prime Minister, which is yet to be released to Himachal Pradesh.
