Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 15 (ANI): In a historic first, state-level Himachal Day celebrations were held on Tuesday in the remote and picturesque Killar region of Pangi Valley in Chamba district.
A large number of people gathered at the helipad ground to witness and participate in the 78th Himachal Day celebration. 
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conveyed his heartfelt greetings to the people of the state on this occasion. He paid tribute to the immense contributions of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Y.S. Parmar, in securing statehood for the region.
The Chief Minister unfurled the National Flag and received the ceremonial salute. A parade was held, featuring six contingents led by IPS officer Ravi Nandan. 
The contingent of the Second Indian Reserve Battalion, Sakoh was led by ASI Satyanath Walia, the women’s contingent was led by ASI Pooja Sood, the Himachal Home Guards contingent was led by Khushi Ram, the Chamba district traffic police contingent was led by ASI Ravinder Kumar, the NCC contingent of Government Senior Secondary School Killar was led by Tanika, and the Home Guards Band was led by Havaldar Ret Ram.
While addressing the State-Level Himachal Day function in Killar, Sukhu announced that the Udaipur-Killar road improvement was a top priority for the state government and the matter has been strongly taken up with the Union Government, resulting in the tender process nearing completion. He directed the administrations of Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts to complete all necessary formalities and expedite the road construction work.
He announced to make Pangi Sub-division as Himachal’s first natural farming sub-division and grant Rs 5 crore revolving fund for this purpose. He also announced Rs 60 per kg minimum support price to naturally grown barley and set up a milk processing plant with 10 thousand capacities in Pangi area.
To strengthen power supply in the valley, he stated that the state government is working on various projects worth Rs 62 crore. He said Rs 5 crore are being spent on laying an 11 KV line from Tindi to Shaur and announced Rs 45.50 crore for laying a 33 KV line from Thirot to Killar.
Taking into account the unique challenges of the region, he assured sufficient funds for the construction of Mahila Mandal Bhawans and declared that Sach will be given the status of Sub-Tehsil.
To improve transportation services, he announced 20 new bus permits for the valley, along with a 40 percent subsidy on bus purchases and a four-month exemption from road tax.
Further, the Chief Minister announced the opening of a Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Pangi Valley and the development of the Civil Hospital in Killar into Adarsh Swasthya Sansthan. He declared 50 percent waiver on registration fees for home stays and announced Rs 1.5 crore for the improvement of link roads in the valley.
The Chief Minister said that former PM Indira Gandhi shared a deep connection with the Pangi valley and was the first PM of the country to visit Pangi in 1984, after which the development of the region gained momentum. He said, “This is a testament to the Congress government’s commitment for development of tribal areas.”
He stated that the state government has made efforts to revive the economy by introducing changes in policies and laws, resulting in significant improvements in Himachal Pradesh’s financial condition. The government has fulfilled six out of its ten guarantees and has taken several steps to strengthen the rural economy. The state government is offering minimum support price for milk, as well as for wheat, maize, and turmeric cultivated through natural farming. A total of 1.58 lakh farmers practicing natural farming have been certified in the state.
Sukhu said that under the Agriculture Interest Subvention Scheme, a one-time settlement policy will be introduced this year through banks to benefit farmers whose land is on the verge of auction.
Under this policy, farmers will be able to repay agricultural loans of up to Rs 3 lakh, with the state government paying 50 percent of the interest. He added that the MSP for milk has been increased, and the government is now purchasing cow milk at Rs. 51 per litre and buffalo milk at Rs 61 per litre.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to making Himachal Pradesh a Green Energy State by 31 March, 2026.
“Efforts are being made to promote electric vehicles and harness renewable energy. In tribal areas, residents will be given a 5 percent interest subsidy for setting up solar energy plants ranging from 250 kilowatts to one megawatt. I urge the people of Pangi valley to take advantage of this initiative,” he added.
The CM further said that the government is linking environmental conservation with employment generation. A budget provision of Rs 100 crore has been made under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana, which will allow women and youth to earn livelihoods while protecting forests. Under this scheme, each group will receive Rs 6.40 lakh over a period of five years.
Highlighting achievements in tourism, he said that Himachal Pradesh has been honoured in two categories by the India Today Group for its outstanding performance in tourism. Bir Billing was awarded ‘Editor’s Choice-Best Adventure Destination’ and Dharamshala was named ‘Best Mountain Destination’. Additionally, Himachal Pradesh has won three National Panchayat Awards. Under the theme of water-sufficient panchayats, the Sikander Panchayat of Bamsan Block in Hamirpur district was awarded second prize.
He also noted that for the first time, the state government has organized Rajava Lok Adalats, which have resolved 2.75 lakh mutation cases, over 16,000 partition cases, more than 27,000 demarcation cases, and over 7,000 correction cases.
The chief Minister said, “The state government is going to revolutionize the healthcare sector with an estimated capital expenditure of Rs 1570 crore to be spent on the procurement of the state-of-art medical equipments and machineries to benefit the people of the State. The process for installing modern PET Scan and MRI machines in IGMC, Shimla and Tanda Medical College is underway and would be edicated shortly.”
He said that the state government has restructured the education department and Directorate of School Education will look after education from pre-nursery to Class 12.
While, the Directorate of Higher Education will now manage colleges and look into all aspects of higher education. This restructuring is part of the government’s ongoing reforms aimed at improving the administration and efficiency of the education system.
Sukhu said that the Police department has initiated a massive crackdown to dismantle the drug network in the State in a mission mode. The Anti Narcotics Task Force would be strengthened and additionally a special task force would also be formed to combat the drug menace to be headed by a senior police officer.
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, MLA’s Sunder Thakur and Neeraj Nayyar, HP State Cooperative Bank Chairman Devendra Shyam, CM’s OSD Ritesh Capret, APMC Chamba Chairman Lalit Thakur, Congress leaders Yashwant Khanna, Surjit Bharmauri, along-with representatives of various panchayats Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Sharma, Secretary GAD Rajesh Sharma, DGP Dr. Atul Verma, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal, SP Abhishek Yadav and other senior officers were also present on this occasion. (ANI)
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