Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday pitched for greater financial support from the Centre during the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a high-level committee to assess the financial losses suffered by Himachal Pradesh due to the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), repeated natural disasters and the implementation of the GST regime.
Participating in the meeting themed “Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat”, Sukhu said the withdrawal of the RDG had dealt a severe blow to the state’s economy. He maintained that the Rs 25,000 crore allocated to compensate for the loss was inadequate and demanded that the amount be enhanced to Rs 50,000 crore to ensure uninterrupted developmental activities in the hill state.
The Chief Minister also sought protection of Himachal Pradesh’s interests in the proposed Chandrabhaga-Ravi-Beas river linking project, stressing that the state’s concerns must be safeguarded while implementing the ambitious water management initiative.
Highlighting Himachal’s contribution to environmental conservation, Sukhu said a study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management had estimated the state’s ecological services at around Rs 90,000 crore annually. Despite playing a crucial role in preserving the environment, Himachal was not receiving adequate compensation for these services, he added.
Seeking intervention from the Centre on hydropower issues, Sukhu alleged that Himachal Pradesh was being deprived of its rightful share of free power from projects generating nearly 13,000 MW of electricity. He also pointed out that arrears of about Rs 7,000 crore from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) remained pending. The CM further claimed that the state had suffered losses of nearly Rs 25,000 crore over the past eight years due to the GST regime and noted that central assistance of Rs 1,500 crore announced for disaster-related losses was still awaited.
Listing the state’s achievements, Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh was declared fully literate in 2025 and secured the sixth position nationally in the 2026 Performance Grading Index for school education. He also highlighted the government’s focus on renewable energy through solar power, green hydrogen, pumped storage and battery storage projects, asserting that Himachal was on course to emerge as a leading green energy state.
The CM additionally sought improved air connectivity and expansion of Gaggal airport to boost tourism. He also briefed the meeting on the state’s aggressive anti-drug campaign against “chitta” abuse and sought greater support from the Centre in strengthening intelligence sharing and inter-agency coordination to combat the menace.
