Himachal Pradesh chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, tabled his maiden budget in the state assembly on Friday. The CM went on to say that his intention is to make Himachal Pradesh a green energy state by 31 March, 2026.
He further stressed the promotion of clean energy and reducing the consumption of fossil fuels in the state.
The CM talked about subsidies for electric vehicles and the establishment of solar power plants. Therefore, he himself reached out to Vidhan Sabha from his residence in an electric car.
He said that there is a plan to turn two panchayats in every district into green energy panchayats, with solar energy plants with capacities ranging from 500 KW to 1 MW.
The state is set to give a 40 percent subsidy to youths of the state for establishing solar energy plants on their land or rented land, CM said. The electricity from these plants will be purchased by the state electricity board, and in this process, youth can earn up to Rs 15 lakh per year.
CM Sukhu assured that electric buses will take the place of all the diesel buses of HRTC. A total of 1,500 buses will be replaced in the first phase, and it is expected that Rs 1, 000 crore will have to be spent.
The CM said that his government promised before the election about the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for employees, which is fulfilled, and the cabinet has passed a resolution seeking the central government to return Rs 8,000 crore NPS Fund to the state.
Speaking on the health sector, the Himachal CM announced a reduction in the working hours of doctors, which would be eight hours. The CM announced the opening of an emergency medicine department in medical colleges as well.
Model Medicine Centres will be established in all 68 constituencies of Himachal Pradesh, he said. It is expected that overall, Rs 150 crore would be spent on critical care units, and the opening of a nuclear medicine department in Dr Radhakrishan Medical College, Hamirpur, is also on the cards.