BBMB Arrears and Disaster Assistance Issues at NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting
New Delhi, June 11
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu strongly advocated for Himachal Pradesh’s financial and developmental interests during the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi on Thursday under the theme ‘Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat’. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Chief Ministers of various states, Lieutenant Governors, Union Ministers, special invitees, the Vice Chairman, members and CEO of NITI Aayog.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to constitute a high-level committee for hill states to assess losses suffered by Himachal Pradesh due to the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), damages caused by natural disasters, inadequate free power benefits from hydropower projects and revenue losses under the GST regime.
He said that despite these constraints, Himachal Pradesh continues to contribute significantly to the nation’s growth and development. He proposed that the committee submit a detailed report to the Government of India to ensure that the state receives its rightful share of financial support. Highlighting the impact of the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant, Sukhu termed it a major setback to the state’s economy. He said that the Rs. 25,000 crore provided to the state was insufficient to compensate for the losses and demanded that the amount be increased to Rs. 50,000 crore to facilitate smooth developmental activities.
The Chief Minister emphasized that Himachal Pradesh serves as the country’s green frontier and deserves special attention from the Government of India for realizing the vision of Viksit Bharat. Referring to a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, he said that the state provides ecological services worth Rs. 90,000 crore to the country but is not being adequately compensated for preserving its ecology.
He further stated that the state is being deprived of a fair share of free power from the 13,000 MW of hydropower generated within Himachal Pradesh. He also pointed out that the state has not yet received arrears amounting to Rs. 7,000 crore from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). Raising concerns over disaster-related losses, Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh has repeatedly borne the brunt of natural calamities and is still awaiting the Rs. 1,500 crore special assistance announced by the Government of India. He added that the state had suffered revenue losses of approximately Rs. 25,000 crore during the last eight years due to the existing GST regime.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the state’s achievements in human development. He said that Himachal Pradesh was declared fully literate in 2025 and secured the sixth position in the 2026 School Education Performance Grading Index report. He noted that the state ranked 21st in the same index in 2022 when the present government assumed office.
He stated that Himachal Pradesh has achieved a Gross Enrollment Ratio of 43 percent in higher education, which is 28.4 percent higher than the national average. He further said that the state has maintained excellent performance in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6. Speaking about green energy initiatives, Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh is poised to emerge as a leading green energy state through the promotion of solar energy, green hydrogen, pump storage and battery storage projects. He requested the Centre to safeguard the interests of the state during the execution of the ambitious Chandrabhaga-Ravi-Beas Link Project aimed at improving water management.
The Chief Minister also briefed the meeting about the Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojna, which seeks to identify 1.5 lakh poorest families and help them become self-reliant. Emphasizing the importance of tourism, he stressed the need for improved air connectivity and urged the Centre to develop Gaggal Airport so that Himachal Pradesh can become part of the “One State One International Destination” initiative.
On social sector issues, Sukhu called for greater coordination among the Health, Women and Child Welfare and Education Departments for effective implementation of child nutrition programmes. He underlined the importance of data sharing between ASHA and Anganwadi workers and advocated an integrated AI-enabled, IT-based, data-driven decision-making and outcome-monitoring system.
The Chief Minister also informed the Governing Council about the state’s aggressive anti-chitta campaign aimed at curbing substance abuse. He sought support from the Centre in strengthening intelligence networks and enhancing inter-agency cooperation to tackle the drug menace effectively. Chief Secretary K.K. Pant accompanied the Chief Minister during the meeting.
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