Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu unveils new departments, ministers to be appointed

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced new departments for infrastructure and artificial intelligence while reassigning portfolios taken from ministers in the recent reshuffle. CM Sukhu also criticized the BJP, accusing them of neglecting the state's interests and obstructing financial assistance for disaster relief.

Hamirpur/Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said that new departments for infrastructure and artificial intelligence will be created and allotted to the ministers from whom portfolios were taken in the recent reshuffle. A day after portfolios were allotted to newly inducted Cabinet ministers Rajesh Dharmani (technical education, vocational and industrial training) and Yadvinder Goma (youth services and sports and Ayush), Sukhu in a statement issued here said that the ministers from whom the departments have been taken will be given the newly created departments.

Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh has been divested of Youth Services and Sports Department. Portfolios of Ayush and technical education, vocational and industrial training have been taken from Industries and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and Education Minister Rohit Thakur, respectively.

There was no change in the portfolios of the chief minister, deputy chief minister and the remaining ministers. Sukhu, who laid the foundation stone of four projects including a project for supplying 24-hour drinking water facility to Nadaun city, hotels of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, rest house of the Jal Shakti Department and Model Career and Skill Centre, alleged that the BJP sold hydel projects on easy terms to Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and caused "huge loss" to the state exchequer.

Earlier also, Sukhu had alleged that interests of Himachal Pradesh were not kept in mind and the previous BJP government gave Luhri, Sunni and Dhaula-Siddh hydropower projects to SJVN on "easy terms". He said that the central government undertakings were opposing the water cess levied by the state government on its hydel projects. Along with this, Rs 4,300 crore of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) was lying with the central government for many years which has not been released yet, he alleged.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of the function, the chief minister said that the BJP "failed" in its role of constructive opposition and accused the party of indulging in "cheap politics" ignoring the interests of the people of the state. He said that neither the state BJP leaders nor the MPs from the state met Prime Minister Narendra Modi or other central leaders to seek financial assistance for the disaster-hit state, the statement said.

The state government has sent claims of around Rs 10,000 crore to the central government, which were supposed to be provided in December, but the BJP leaders are "creating hurdles" in getting the amount released, he alleged. "I appeal to the BJP leaders not to make false claims of getting special financial assistance from the Centre to misguide the people and also not to create hurdles in the way of the government for getting financial assistance," he added.

"If the central government has given any special economic package to Himachal Pradesh in connection with the disaster, then the BJP leaders should provide details of the same," Sukhu said.

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