Himachal minister Rajesh Dharmani lays stone of power substation in Ghumarwin

Himachal Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani laid the foundation stone of a 132/33 kV, 63 MVA capacity electricity substation at Kuthakar in Kasaru gram panchayat of the Ghumarwin Assembly constituency in Bilaspur district on Monday. This project, to be set up at a cost Rs 96.67 crore, along with an additional Rs 5 crore for strengthening transmission lines, aims to provide long-term reliability to the region’s power infrastructure.

Dharmani said that this would be the first major 132/33 kV grid substation in Ghumarwin, ensuring stable power supply for the next 20 to 25 years. The facility would convert high-voltage electricity to low voltage, minimising issues like low voltage, overloading and frequent outages, thus guaranteeing quality service to consumers. He added that water supply and irrigation schemes under the Jal Shakti Department would also benefit directly, strengthening rural water distribution.

Dharmani said that despite financial challenges, the state government was committed to generating a revenue of Rs 3,800 crore through initiatives like transparent liquor contract auction yielding Rs 600 crore more and power subsidy reforms saving Rs 1,200 crore every year. He added that while the previous BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur had received Rs 70,000 crore as a special central assistance, the current Congress government got only Rs 17,000 crore so far. However, the Congress government still prioritised public welfare amid the debt limit and reduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation.

The minister said that in the education sector, the CBSE curriculum was being introduced in government schools for a better learning environment, reducing reliance on private institutions.