Set clear targets, clear pending tasks, Himachal CM tells admininstrative secretaries

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed all administrative secretaries to set clear targets and complete pending tasks to extend the benefits of development projects to the people of the state.

Sukhu, while chairing a high-level meeting with all administrative secretaries here today, said that the state government had been working to ensure good governance and betterment of people. “The Chief Secretary will regularly review the progress of departmental projects,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that the state government was giving priority to health, education, rural economy, tourism, energy, food processing and data storage sectors, besides encouraging investment in these areas. “Major reforms are being introduced in the health sector to ensure people get quality treatment near their homes. The government was also strengthening facilities in all seven medical colleges in the state by equipping them with modern equipment and advanced machines on the lines of those in AIIMS-Delhi,” he added.

He emphasised on promoting electric vehicles and creating necessary infrastructure for them. “The approval process for Forest Rights Act (FRA) and Forest Conservation Act (FCA) cases should be accelerated and departments should focus on digitisation of their works,” he added.

Sukhu said that around 90 percent population of the state lives in villages and therefore the government was working to strengthen the rural economy. “Our government has increased milk procurement prices and has also fixed the minimum support prices for naturally-grown wheat, maize, barley and turmeric,” he added, laying emphasis on the adoption of natural farming, which could be a major source of income for farmers.

He said that like 2023, the monsoon this year also caused a heavy loss of lives and property in the state. “The state government is doing its best with its limited resources to support and provide relief to every affected family,” he added.

The Chief Minister also directed the Revenue Department to prepare a detailed report of losses caused by heavy rainfall and floods this year at the earliest so that it could be sent to the Central Government without delay.

Sanjay Gupta, who holds the additional charge of Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries KK Pant and Onkar Chand Sharma, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, Chief Minister's Secretary Rakesh Kanwar and other administrative secretaries attended the meeting.