CM announces Rs. 1 hike in apple procurement price, milk support price to rise from 1st December

SHIMLA 1 October, 2026

· Sandasu to get civil hospital status, Jangla and Chirgaon schools to be affiliated with CBSE
· CM announces several development initiatives for Rohru Assembly Constituency
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is making continuous efforts to strengthen the rural economy and increase the income of farmers, apple growers and livestock farmers.

Addressing a large public meeting at Chirgaon in the Rohru Assembly constituency, the Chief Minister announced that the support price for milk would be increased from 1st December. He said that previous governments had made only small increases in milk prices, whereas the present state government had made a historic increase in the support price. He added that further increases in the future would help increase the income of livestock farmers.

Sh. Sukhu also announced an increase of Rs. one per kilogram in the procurement price of apples purchased under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). Apples will now be purchased under the MIS at Rs. 13 per kg instead of Rs. 12 per kg. He said that the Congress government was committed to rural development and was continuously working to strengthen the rural economy. To benefit apple growers, the state government had introduced the universal carton system. Support prices were also being provided for produce from natural farming.

The Chief Minister said that the previous BJP government had not given enough attention to education and that Himachal Pradesh ranked 21st in terms of quality education in 2021. He said that, as a result of the efforts of the present state government, the state had now moved up to fifth place. He said that English-medium education had been introduced from Class 1 in government schools so that students studying in these schools would not lack confidence. In view of the declining number of students in government schools, the state government has opened more than 150 CBSE schools. He said that after CBSE curriculum was introduced in one school in Rohru, the number of students increased by more than 500 in just one year. He said that 1,500 teachers had been appointed in these CBSE schools. At the same time, schools affiliated with the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education were also being strengthened.

The state is also developing 300 Schools of Excellence. The aim is to provide children in rural areas with better education close to home and reduce the financial burden on parents who otherwise have to spend more on private education.