Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Seeks Special Norms for Hilly States

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Seeks Special Norms for Hilly States

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Central Government to adopt distinct norms for sanctioning projects under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transport (AMRUT) Scheme, considering the unique challenges posed by the state’s difficult terrain and topography. Sukhu emphasized that the current population-based criteria for sanctioning projects under AMRUT is unsuitable for Himachal Pradesh and needs to be relaxed to maximize benefits under the scheme. He made these remarks during a meeting with Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal in Himachal Bhawan, Chandigarh.

The Chief Minister highlighted the need for periodic reviews of the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, as the cost of projects escalates over time. He noted that Himachal Pradesh is one of the best-performing states under Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY) and urged the Central Government to release funds for PMAY-2 once the funds under PMAY-1 are fully utilized. Sukhu also called for amendments to the tender policy system, reducing the period from 60 days to 10 days to accelerate the pace of development works.

The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of system monitoring and urged the Ministry of Power to allow one MW capacity solar systems with battery backups for border areas like Spiti to mitigate the hardships caused by snow and adverse weather. He informed that Rs. 362 crore has been earmarked to ensure uninterrupted power supply in these areas.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of declaring clean cities of Himachal Pradesh as Safai Mitra Surakshit Shehar, which would attract additional funding from the Central Government to enhance cleanliness efforts. Union Minister Manohar Lal praised the performance of Himachal Pradesh and assured full support from the Union Government. He highlighted a proposal to develop a new township at Jathia Devi near Shimla and suggested setting up solid waste management plants in Municipal Corporations, given the challenges of implementing large projects in a small state like Himachal Pradesh. The Minister also proposed exploring the concept of Sanjha Bazar in Himachal Pradesh, where Self Help Groups could sell their products at one place to earn their livelihood.

The Union Minister suggested increasing power production and ensuring maximum utilization of running water to harness hydropower. Other senior officers from the Ministry and the state government, including Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Additional Secretary MoHUA Satinder Pal Singh, Director AMRUT Gurjeet Singh Dhillon, Principal Secretary Urban Development Devesh Kumar, Director Gopal Chand, and others, were also present at the meeting.

#HimachalPradesh #SukhvinderSinghSukhu #AMRUTScheme #UrbanDevelopment