Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu distributed cash prizes amounting to Rs. 14.77 crore to 21 international medal winners at a grand ceremony organized here today. Among the recipients, Paralympian Nishad Kumar from Una district was awarded Rs. 7.80 crore for his outstanding achievements, including a silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics 2022, a silver medal in the Paris Paralympics 2024, a gold medal in the Para Asian Games China 2023 and a silver medal in the World Games Portugal 2022.

The Chief Minister presented Rs. 2.50 crore to Ajay Kumar from Mandi district for winning a silver medal in the Para Asian Games China 2023,  Rs. 33.32 lakh to Ritu Negi Kabaddi player from Sirmaur district for Paralympics 2022 for leading the Indian Kabaddi team to victory at the Asian Games China 2023. She had also won a silver medal in the Asian Games Jakarta 2018.

Three other Kabaddi players from Sirmaur, Kumari Pushpa, Kumari Sushma Sharma, and Kumari Nidhi Sharma, were each awarded Rs. 33.32 lakh for being part of the gold medal-winning Indian Kabaddi team at the Asian Games China 2023. Kabaddi player Kumari Jyoti from Solan district and Vishal Bhardwaj from Una district also received Rs. 33.32 lakh each for their contributions to the same competition.

Fencing player Jyotika Dutta from Shimla district was awarded Rs. 3 lakh for representing India in the Asian Games China 2023 and the Asian Games Jakarta 2018. Handball players Kumari Diksha, Kumari Shalini Thakur, Kumari Priyanka Thakur and Kumari Nidhi Sharma from Bilaspur district, along with Kumari Mitali Sharma, Kumari Bhavana and Kumari Menaka from Solan district were awarded with Rs. 3 lakh each for representing India in handball at the Asian Games China 2023.

The Chief Minister presented Rs. 3 lakh to Anjali Devi from Mandi district for leading the country in the Para Asian Games China 2023 in the Boshiya Para Sports Competition. Apart from this cricketer Renuka Singh Thakur from Shimla district received Rs. 13.32 lakh for securing a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. Weightlifter Vikas Thakur from Hamirpur district was honoured with Rs. 2 crore for winning a silver medal in the individual event at the same games.

Sh. Sukhu awarded Ashish Kumar from Mandi district with Rs. 5 lakh for representing India in boxing at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, while Olympian shooter Vijay Kumar from Hamirpur district received Rs. 2 lakh for representing the country.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also honoured Padma Shri awardee Ajay Thakur and other prominent personalities from the sports fraternity for their contributions in various games.

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All medical colleges and district hospitals to have Opioid Substitution Therapy Centre

While addressing one day long State level workshop on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition and De-addiction here today, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced constitution of State level Advisory Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation in the State. To be headed by the Chief Minister this initiative aims streamlining the activities of various line departments on substance abuse to ensure integrated approach towards this menace. Additionally, he also declared the Centre of Excellence of Mental Health at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda as State level nodal institution for De-addiction and rehabilitation. He also said that Opioid Substitution Therapy Centre would be established at all  medical colleges and district hospitals of the State.  He said that School Health Mission will be implemented in the State in collaboration with departments of Education and Health.

Sh. Sukhu said that the State Government would prepare an action plan for addressing the nutritional concerns of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers and children upto the age of six years besides drug abuse prevention, de-addiction and rehabilitation. He also directed the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to formulate a mechanism to ensure the well being of expectant women and their new born upto the age of one year. He said that first one thousand days of new born babies are critical, therefore, their health is the priority for the State Government. He said that the Government was also contemplating to delegate the powers to the lower level for the procurement of nutritional supplements to ensure good quality of food items being provided to the eligible pregnant women, lactating mothers. He directed the officers to formulate SoP in this regard.

The Chief Minister said that there was a need to create awareness at the school level regarding the ill effects of drug abuse. He said that the State Government has initiated a crackdown on drug mafia in the State and many of the culprits had been nabbed and the State Government has also made a provision to confiscate their properties. He said that to curb the drug menace, integrated approach must be adopted. "It is concerning that young children are falling prey to the drug addiction. The State Government is concerned about how to protect hem and their families from this. We are also going to establish state of art de-addiction and rehabilitation centre in Kotla Barog of Sirmaur district spread over 150 bighas ", he added.

Sh. Sukhu said that the doctors from Himachal Pradesh were excelling in the medical field and bringing laurels to the State. He said that the State Government was also promoting health tourism in order to provide employment and self employment opportunities and necessary infrastructure was being upgraded. He said that the present State Government has accorded top priority to health and education and during the last two years, the State Government has made significant changes in the health care sector and further radical changes are planned for the future.

He said that changing lifestyle is causing several health issues, therefore, it was essential to adopt a proper diet and lifestyle changes. He said that modern machines were being introduced in government health institutions and steps were being taken to follow doctor patients and nurse patients ratio in line with international health standards so that people can get better health care facilities. 

Health Minister Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil, while speaking on the occasion, emphasized on the importance of such deliberations in shaping the positive changes and policy decisions. He said that the present State government has taken numerous to improve the health care infrastructure in the State. He said that the health of new born baby is directly linked to the mother's well being. He said that awareness camps play a crucial role in preventing substance abuse among the abuse but the cooperation from all sections of the society is equally necessary. 

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena expressed concern over the lack of awareness about breastfeeding techniques for infants aged 0-6 months in Himachal Pradesh. He emphasized the need for proper nutrition for expectant women, lactating mothers and newborns, stating that the state faces climate change, public health issues, and the growing problem of substance abuse as major three challenges.

Dr. V.K. Paul, Member of NITI Aayog, stressed the importance of monitoring, training and teamwork to tackle the malnutrition issues in children. He advocated for immediate breastfeeding within the hospital after childbirth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. He said that ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers have a critical role in guiding parents on proper nutrition practices for infants. Training these workers is essential to ensure that children’s growth is monitored and supported effectively.

Dr. Paul emphasized the critical role of parental awareness in ensuring child health, urging families to provide nutritious meals at home once a child reaches six months of age. He highlighted the importance of zinc supplementation for children experiencing diarrhea to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Furthermore, he stressed the need for regular health monitoring of pregnant and lactating mothers.

Earlier, Health Secretary M. Sudha Devi welcomed the Chief Minister.

MD (Pediatrics) National Director CORD Padma-Shri awardee Kshama Metre, National Director of BMGF Hari Menon, Director, PHNDC Dr. Sheela C Vir, Technical Advisor, PHNDC Dr. Vandana Sabharwal, MD Dr. Rupal Dalal, Director ESOMA Kiran Bhadana and experts from AIIMS Delhi and PGI Chandigarh also deliberated upon various issues related to infant health during one day workshop.

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Billing Paragliding Association felicitates Chief Minister

A delegation of the Billing Paragliding Association, Himachal Pradesh led by its President Anurag Sharma met Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today. The delegation expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the State government's support in ensuring the successful organization of the Paragliding World Cup held in Bir Billing at Kangra district in November this year.

On the occasion, the delegation honoured the Chief Minister by presenting a Himachali cap, shawl and souvenir as a token of appreciation.

The Chief Minister congratulated Ranjit Kumar a resident of Bir for securing second position in the Paragliding World Cup. He said that it was a matter of immense pride that the youth of Himachal Pradesh were excelling in diverse fields and bringing laurels to the state.

Office bearers of the Association Suresh Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Ranjit Chamel, Hardev Thakur and Shailabh Awasthi were also present on the occasion.

Jai Ram fails to install MRI machine at Ner Chowk Hospital:CM

State Government focuses on serving common man: CM

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while addressing a large public gathering at Bakhli in the Siraj Assembly constituency of Mandi district said that the Congress government would fulfill seven key guarantees on 11 December. Apart from this the government was working tirelessly to introduce more welfare schemes in the near future. The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to serving the common people and said that all the cabinet Ministers were also working with utmost dedication to resolve public issues.

He said that the present state government dissolved the Subordinate Services Selection Commission in Hamirpur after allegations of corruption and paper leaks. He said that he could let the future of the youth jeopardized due to corruption. He questioned the inaction of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur during these incidents.

The Chief Minister said that present state government has discontinued the practice of halting development projects of the previous governments. He said that the present state government has allocated Rs. 28 crore for the Baglamukhi ropeway project which was an example of commitment of congress government towards meaningful development. He accused the previous BJP government of constructing buildings without appointing staff and opening 900 institutions just before the elections without providing adequate budgets and manpower. He described such actions as a betrayal of the public and stressed that the present state government would open new institutions only after ensuring proper staffing.

He said that the previous BJP government has left the state treasury in dire straits, and no money was left to run the government for even a month. He said that the present state government had introduced significant policy changes over the past two years to benefit the common people. He said that the restoration of the old pension scheme for 1.36 lakh government employees, the release of an 11 percent dearness allowance for employees and pensioners and an increase in police diet allowances to Rs1,000. These measures reflect the state’s improving financial health.

The Chief Minister said that the steps were also taken to strengthen the rural economy. The government has introduced schemes like purchasing cow milk at Rs. 45 per litre, buffalo milk at Rs. 55 per litre, maize at Rs.30 per kg and wheat at Rs. 40 per kg. Apart from this the MNREGA daily wages were also increased from Rs. 240 to Rs. 300.

The Chief Minister criticized the previous government for failing to equip hospitals, stating that the BJP government converted hospitals across the state into referral centres by failing to install essential equipment, such as an MRI machine in Ner Chowk Hospital. Apart from this the present state government has started Mukhyamantri Sukh Aashray Yojana to support 6,000 orphan children and provide education for 23,000 children of widows under the Mukhyamantri Sukh Shiksha Yojana.

The Chief Minister criticized the BJP for resorting to trivial politics before the elections on issues like toilet tax and samosas. He accused them of spreading misinformation about the economic condition of the state. Whereas sthe spresent state government has provided a special relief package of Rs. 4,500 crore to families affected by recent disasters entirely from state resources.

The Chief Minister also announced the construction of the Pandoh Bridge.

As part of welfare initiatives, Sh Sukhu distributed certificates to two children for land allocation under the Chief Minister Sukh-Aashray Yojana to help them build houses. He also provided three biswa of land each to two families who had lost their property in the last disaster. Apart from this, he distributed certificates to 14 beneficiaries of the Sukh Shiksha Yojana, under which the government would bear educational expenses of children of widowed and single women.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that Himachal Pradesh was poised to lead in ropeway projects, with the Shimla ropeway to be constructed with an outlay of Rs. 1,750 crore was set to become the second-largest in the world. He said that the construction work on ropeways at Rohtang, Bijli Mahadev, Baba Balaknath and Chintpurni was also started. He said that the ropeways would enhance the connectivity and would provide better experience to the tourists visiting the state.  Apart from this the government was planning to procure 1,000 new buses for HRTC, including 350 electric buses and the introduction of tempo travelers which would enhance public transport in the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister accused opposition Leader Jai Ram Thakur of making false claims about the non-payment of salaries and pensions in HRTC. He clarified that salaries were being paid to all government employees.

Former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister for the providing ropeway to the Mandi district. He praised the present state government for its commendable work and for fulfilling five out of its ten guarantees. He also thanked the Chief Minister for granting an amount Rs. 35 crore for providing financial support to the disaster affected people of Mandi.

Congress Leader Chet Ram Thakur said that present state government has left no stone unturned for the development of Seraj area. He said that the people of Seraj have special compassion for Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and would render all possible support to him. The present state government has announced historic increase in milk prices, which was bringing economic benefits to farmers.

Congress leader Vijay Pal Singh praised Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for personally visiting Siraj during the recent disaster and providing relief to the affected people. He said that the financial assistance of Rs. 7 lakh was given to those whose houses were completely destroyed.

Congress leader Jagdish Reddy also welcomed the Chief Minister and expressed gratitude for the gift of a ropeway.

Former Minister Prakash Chaudhary, Former CPS Sohan Singh Thakur, Chairman APMC Mandi Sanjeev Gularia, Chairman APMC Kullu Miyan Ram Singh, Congress Leader Pawan Thakur, Champa Thakur, Naresh Chauhan, Jeevan Thakur, Vijay Pal Singh, Mahesh Raj, Rajiv Kimta, Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, SP Sakshi Verma and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

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   A delegation of Himachal Pradesh State Masters Games Association led by  President Vinod Kumar called on Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today  and invited him to be Chief Guest on the occasion of State Masters Games being organized at Bilaspur from 13^th to 15^th December, 2024.

The Chief Minister said that the present state government was promoting the sports in the State besides developing world class infrastructure to facilitate the players. He said that the sports not only keep the youth physically fit but also inculcate the spirit of leadership, discipline and brotherhood among all.

 They also honoured the Chief Minister with Himachali cap and shawl.

Vice President of the Association Ajay Kanwar Shardiya, General Secretary Tejsvi Sharma and office bearers Ravinder Sharma and Manoj Bakshi were also present on the occasion.