Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attended the ‘Himachal Ki Awaaz’ programme organized by the Divya Himachal newspaper on Monday evening at Tanda in Kangra district and said that the future belongs to the people of Himachal Pradesh, based on verifiable progress. Over the past two years, the current Congress Government has been working diligently in this direction. “We are committed to reaching the last person in society. We are making policy changes and taking tough decisions, which require courage,” he said.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu criticized the previous BJP government, claiming it focused solely on appeasement for political gains and depleted the State’s treasury for the sake of votes. As a result, Himachal ranked 21st in education quality nationwide. Health services suffered, and the State now has the second-highest rate of cancer patients after Northeast India. He said that the State Government was making concerted efforts to improve quality of electricity, water, and healthcare and tangible results are emerging. The government was recruiting over 900 nurses and doctors through walk-in interviews, along with implementing significant reforms in education, Sh. Sukhu added.
The Chief Minister emphasized the State’s support for orphans, with the Government adopting 6,000 orphaned children as “Children of the State” and treating them as family. He said that Sukhashray Kosh has been established in the State for this cause and has received donations totaling Rs. 110 crore and added that Government is also providing free education to 23,000 children of widows across the State. The Government recently launched an anti-drug campaign and is taking stern action against drug mafias.
Additionally, a state-level de-addiction and rehabilitation center is being established in Kotla-Barog in the Pachhad Assembly constituency of Sirmaur district to reintegrate individuals struggling with substance abuse. Furthermore, a Center of Excellence for higher education for over 9,000 differently-abled individuals was being set up in Kandaghat, Solan district, he added.
Referring to the State’s natural resources, the Chief Minister remarked that while the SJVNL has become a Rs. 67,000 crore company, the annual budget of Himachal Pradesh is Rs. 58,000 crore. “I cannot let the state’s resources be depleted. If SJVNL does not adhere to our terms, we will take over three projects. We will also get back the Shanan Project from Punjab Government,” he affirmed.
Shri Sukhu praised Divya Himachal for organizing Himachal Ki Awaaz programme which would serve as a platform to promote talent and preserve local culture. He congratulated the newspaper for this mega event and said that such initiatives encouraged the artists and youth to do better for the welfare of the society.
The Chief Minister gave away the Himachal Ki Awaz awards to Sarvagya Sharma (Mandi) as Winner, Urmila Soni (Kullu) as 1st Runner-up and Diksha Chouhan (Dharamshala) as 2nd Runner up in Senior Category and to Prakriti Sharma (Hamirpur) as Winner, Lalit Walia (Kangra) as 1st Runner- up and Garima Dadhwal (Hamirpur) as 2nd Runner up in Junior Category.
During the event, Shri Sukhu presented awards to notable individuals, including Ajay Thakur (Best Player), Dr. Suresh Joshi (Best Environmentalist), Kamdhenu Institution (Best NGO), Rajendra Rajan (Best Story Writer), Nidhi Sharma (Best Chef), Ankush Barjata (Best Young Entrepreneur), Nidhi Dogra (Best Child Yoga Practitioner), Ishant Bhardwaj (Best Folk Singer) and Vishal Sharma (Best Comedian).
Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma, Chairman Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation R.S. Bali, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Kishori Lal, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLA Malender Rajan, former MLAs Surendra Kaku and Ajay Mahajan, Congress leaders Devender Jaggi and Surender Mankotia, Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Chairman Kuldeep Singh Pathania, District Kangra Congress President Karan Singh Pathania, Divya Himachal CMD Bhanu Dhamija, Editor-in-Chief Anil Soni, News Editor Sanjay Awasthi, Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa, and SP Shalini Agnihotri were also present on the occasion.
