Major initiatives to make Himachal a Green and Clean State taken during past two and a half years of the present Government

·     Strike balance between development and environmental protection: CM

Various initiatives have been taken during the last two and a half years to make Himachal Pradesh a ‘Green and Clean State’, with an objective to improve the effectiveness of environmental management, protect vulnerable ecosystems and enhance the sustainability of development.

In this direction, high-level meetings have been chaired by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and the results have started pouring in. The ban on use of 500 ml plastic water bottles from 1 June 2025, the ‘Clean City, Prosperous City Campaign’, launched on 5 February in the State, shift towards solar energy, construction of green corridors, launching of e-vehicles as compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles to reduce the carbon footprints, the Green School Programme, etc are the several key initiatives taken to make realize the dream of ‘Green Energy State’ by 31 March, 2026.

To motivate the children, the Chief Minister recently announced to distribute 60,00,00 stainless steel water bottles to school students, so that they could refrain from the use of plastic water bottles. Regulations related to plastic use have been made quite stringent.

Directions have been issued that the use of the bottles made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) will be banned in all the government programmes and hotels across Himachal Pradesh to ensure cleanliness which indeed will go a long way to make Himachal a plastic-free State. Its use will be prohibited in internal official meetings, conferences and events organized by all government departments, boards, corporations and related bodies. The restriction will also apply to Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation hotels and private hotels.

“Plastic Challenging Mobile App” is yet another significant step towards digitizing enforcement of environmental laws. With this app, officials from 13 departments will now be able to issue challan directly through their mobile devices which would eliminate the need for paper-based processes and promote environmental protection.

Apart from this, Village Forest Management Society (VFMS) are being honoured for their forest conservation efforts.  The Chief Minister has exhorted youth to take active part in the movement to preserve forests and emphasized for striking a balance between development and environmental protection to ensure a secure, prosperous and green Himachal for future generations.

Similarly, ‘Clean City- Prosperous City programme’, launched on 5th February in Himachal Pradesh, aimed to raise awareness about cleanliness and achieve urban sanitation and sustainable development goals.

The nearly two-month-long campaign focused on educating people living in urban areas about the importance of cleanliness, resolving public grievances through solution camps, and promoting the use of digital services through the online citizen service portal. The citizens were informed about nine essential online services being developed under the portal to improve access to urban facilities.

The campaign revolved around three major components: waste management and sanitation, conducting solution camps, and launching the online citizen service portal. Active participation was ensured from 962 members of Self-Help Groups, 14 NGOs and students from 85 schools to create widespread awareness. The volunteers visited around 2.5 lakh households twice during the campaign. Solution camps were organised at the ward level in urban areas.

The campaign not only improved public awareness around cleanliness but also strengthened community participation by involving citizens, NGOs, and schools.