Himachal temple offerings cross Rs 419 crore since Jan 2023
Famous temple shrines in Himachal have received offerings worth Rs 419.88 crore from January 2023 to July 31, 2026, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed the Vidhan Sabha today.
In reply to a question by Shahpur MLA Kewal Singh Pathania, Agnihotri said the revenue generated through offerings was being utilised for creating infrastructure and other facilities for pilgrims, besides meeting the salaries of shrine staff.
According to a written reply, the highest offerings of Rs 99.19 crore were received at the Baba Balaknath temple at Deotsidh in Hamirpur, followed by Rs 86.94 crore at the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur and Rs 85.72 crore at the Chintpurni temple in Una. The Jwala Ji temple at Jwalamukhi received Rs 36.57 crore, while Rs 28.99 crore was offered at the Balasundri temple at Trilokpur in Sirmaur.
Foreign tours cost exchequer nearly Rs 20 crore
The state government spent nearly Rs 20 crore on foreign tours undertaken by ministers, MLAs and officials between January 2023 and July 2026, Chief Minister Sukhu informed the House in a written reply. The expenditure covered foreign visits by the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs from both the Congress and BJP, and officials of various departments. The information was sought by BJP MLAs Rakesh Jamwal and Randhir Sharma.
556 panchayat chowkidar posts abolished
Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh informed the House, in response to a question by Barsar MLA ID Lakhanpal, that 556 posts of panchayat chowkidars had been abolished. He said 400 multi-task workers would be appointed to undertake duties previously performed by the chowkidars. The move, he added, would result in annual savings of Rs 1.70 crore.
