Himachal CM Sukhu presents Rs 58,514-cr Budget

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday presented a Rs58,514-crore budget for 2025-26, focusing on rural infrastructure development, tourism and green energy in the hill state. While presenting his third annual Budget for FY26, Sukhu said the year 2025-26 is full of financial challenges as revenue deficit grant has been reduced and GST compensation has been stopped which will impact the state's economy. The Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) has been reduced from Rs 10,949 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 3,257 in 2025-26, while Himachal Pradesh incurred a loss of Rs 9,478 crore till 2023-24, despite Good and service Tax (GST) compensation given by the centre to the state, he said.
He said the debt liability of the state has risen to Rs1,04,729 crore of which Rs29,046 lakh has been taken by his government. He said 70% of the loan taken in the past two years had been spent on repayment of loan taken by the previous BJP government and its interest component.He announced a hike of Rs 6 in the minimum support price of cow milk from Rs45 to Rs51 a litre and buffalo milk from Rs55 to Rs61 a litre. Daily wages of workers engaged in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) would be increased from Rs300 to Rs320 a day, the CM announced. To combat drug abuse in the state, he announced the constitution of a special task force (STF).

गाय और भैंस के दूध के न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य में रिकॉर्ड बढ़ोतरी।

हमारी सरकार ग्रामीण अर्थव्यवस्था को मजबूत बनाने के लिए प्रतिबद्धता के साथ कार्य कर रही है। pic.twitter.com/kSTwAgkyj2

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) March 17, 2025

Sukhu said that a target has been set to bring one lakh more farmers under natural farming in 2025-26. So far, 1.58 lakh farmers have taken to natural farming in the state. Farmers growing kachi haldi (raw turmeric) would get a minimum support price of Rs90 a kg, he said, adding the state government plans to set up a spice park in Hamirpur.