Chief Minister announces Rs. 20 crore for Johadji–Malla road, CBSE school at Pratha

SHIMLA 25 June, 2026

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while addressing a public gathering at Neri Kalan in the Kasauli Assembly Constituency of Solan district on Thursday announced Rs. 20 crore for the construction of the Johadji–Malla road. He also announced the provision of a monthly pension of Rs. 1,500 under the Indira Gandhi Sukh Samman Nidhi for eligible women from five Gram Panchayats present at the event, affiliation of the Pratha school with CBSE, opening of a branch of Jogindra Cooperative Bank and a survey for the construction of a dam at Chati Dhank.
The Chief Minister expressed happiness that after former Chief Minister Late Virbhadra Singh, he had the opportunity to visit this area.
Referring to the Kishau Dam project, the Chief Minister said that he strongly represented the interests of Himachal Pradesh during a meeting with the Union Home Minister. The state government did not accept the earlier terms for three years and has now secured 211 MW of electricity for Himachal Pradesh without any additional financial burden. This was expected to generate annual benefits of around Rs. 600 crore for the State.
He further said that the proposed alternative to MGNREGA by the Central Government was not in the interest of Himachal Pradesh and could adversely affect lakhs of workers. He added, “The Central Government has also stopped regular recruitment under armed forces and MNREGA scheme has also been changed causing hardship to many people. Had Himachal Pradesh’s RDG allocation of Rs. 10,000 crore not been curtailed, the State would have become self-reliant this year itself. Nevertheless, we remain firmly committed to making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant” said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has launched several initiatives to strengthen rural economy and enhance farmer’s incomes. A Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs. 150 per kilogram has been fixed for naturally grown turmeric. Cow milk is being procured at Rs. 61 per litre and buffalo milk at Rs. 71 per litre. Naturally grown maize is being purchased at Rs. 50 per kilogram and wheat at Rs. 80 per kilogram and the payments are being made directly to farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
He added that under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana, women’s groups and youth clubs were being encouraged to undertake plantation activities. The Forest department was supplying saplings and providing incentives for their protection and maintenance.
The Chief Minister stated that Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country to enact a law granting orphaned children the status of “Children of the State.” The Government was bearing the cost of their education, accommodation, upbringing and other essential needs up to the age of 27 years. Under the Indira Gandhi Sukh Shiksha Yojana, the Government was also funding higher education for children of widowed and single women.
Referring to the Dr. Y.S. Parmar Vidyarthi Rhin Yojana, he said that students could avail education loans of up to Rs. 20 lakh at an interest rate of only one percent. UCO Bank and Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank are the nodal banks for the scheme.
Shri Sukhu said that the quality of education had declined during the previous BJP Government and Himachal Pradesh had slipped to the 21st position nationally. Due to the efforts of the present government, the State had now risen to the fifth position. He noted that the previous government had opened nearly 600 institutions for electoral gains without ensuring adequate staffing.
He stated that the present state government had focused on recruiting teachers and so far around 7,000 teachers had been appointed. A total of 150 CBSE schools had been started in the State, where teachers of English and Mathematics have already been deployed. Additional teachers would be recruited by July to further improve educational standards in these schools.
The Chief Minister said that the Government aims at providing best healthcare facilities to the people of the state comparable to those available at leading medical institutions across the country. He informed that 3-Tesla MRI machines and advanced ultrasound equipment were being installed in the State. Robotic surgery facilities have already been introduced at Chamiyana and IGMC Shimla, Nerchowk Medical College and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, benefiting nearly 200 patients so far. He announced that automated laboratories would be established in all medical colleges across the State within the next two months.
He said that efforts were underway to ensure the availability of high-quality medicines from reputed pharmaceutical companies in government health institutions so that patients receive better treatment.
MLA Vinod Sultanpuri said that the Chief Minister had immense affection for the people of the State and was working tirelessly for their welfare. He added that the Chief Minister had effectively raised the concerns of Himachal Pradesh in New Delhi, resulting in tangible benefits for the State.
He further remarked that, for the first time in history, a government had focused on farmers by providing MSP for naturally grown agricultural produce, thereby benefiting the farming community. He said that the State Government was ensuring adequate financial resources for public welfare and development.
Chaudhary Ram Kumar, Sanjay Awasthi and Bawa Hardeep, former MLA Tilak Raj Sharma, District Congress President Subhash Varmani, Congress leaders Shiv Kumar and Surendra Sethi, Chairman of APMC Solan Roshan Thakur, Chairman of Jogindra Cooperative Bank Mukesh Sharma were also present on the occasion.