DW BUREAU / New Delhi

Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said special needs of hill states should be taken into account and demanded that the pending funds of the state be released. The hill states should be considered for higher allocation of funds by relaxing the eligibility criteria in various schemes.

Addressing the 10th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he demanded the release of funds due to the state, which had been pending for a long time.

If the long-pending dues were released by the Centre well in time, Himachal Pradesh will itself become self-reliant, the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister elaborated on the state government's vision to bring Himachal Pradesh to the most favourite tourist destination in 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 and as well from abroad, he noted.

"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 footfall of tourists will increase manifold," Sukhu said.

He also strongly pleaded about 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.

The Chief Minister raised the matter of royalty aligned with the State Government's energy policy. He outlined the policy, which mandates 12 per cent royalty for the first 12 years, 18 per cent for the subsequent 18 years and 30 per cent 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.

The 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 state should get 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, he noted. Later, Sukhu called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss royalty issues of power projects and tourism initiatives.

Sukhu requested the Prime Minister to provide liberal financial assistance to the state and to release the funds due to the state at the earliest.

(editor@dailyworld.in)