Himachal CM Sukhu attends NITI Aayog meet in Delhi; stresses hill state needs, tourism push, and green energy vision

New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday attended the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held in Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The meeting focused on the theme “Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat 2047”, deliberating on development challenges faced by states and outlining collaborative strategies to overcome them in pursuit of a developed India. 

According to an official release, CM Sukhu said that the special needs of the hill states should be taken into account and considered for higher allocation of funds, thereby relaxing eligibility criteria in various schemes. Chief Minister also demanded release of funds due to the state which were pending since long. 

He said that if the long pending dues were released by the centre well in time, Himachal Pradesh will itself become self reliant. 

Chief Minister elaborated on the state government's vision to bring Himachal Pradesh as the most favourite tourist destination on the tourism map of the country. The State Government envisions a compact package for tourism promotion which includes and will integrate Religious tourism, Eco tourism, Water Tourism, Nature Tourism, Health Tourism etc, which can attract all kinds of tourists from the country as well as from abroad. We are also expanding the Kangra Airport to facilitate the landing of the larger aeroplanes, which will add to the economy of the region as the footfall of tourists will increase manifold. 

He also strongly pleaded for State's rights in hydro power projects and raised the issue of free royalty and handing over the projects under PSUs and CPSUs, which had completed 40 years.

Chief Minister raised the matter of royalty aligned with the State Government’s energy policy. He outlined the policy, which mandates 12 percent royalty for the first 12 years, 18 percent for the subsequent 18 years and 30 percent for the next 10 years in the power projects. He said that private companies already comply with this policy and emphasized that central PSUs should also follow it as well. 

Chief Minister also informed that Himachal Pradesh is the Lungs of North India and has contributed a lot to preserving the green cover, and added that the state should get a Green Bonus for protecting the environment. The state government has set a target to make Himachal Pradesh a Green Energy State by 31 March 2026.

“In the coming years, Himachal Pradesh will become a pioneering State in green hydrogen production in the country. 

A one-megawatt capacity green hydrogen plant is being set up in Solan district in collaboration with Oil India Limited, he said.  
Deliberations were also held on taking action on promoting entrepreneurship, skill development and sustainable employment opportunities.

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Secretary to Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar accompanied the Chief Minister. (ANI)