Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, October 27
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday released the state’s Human Development Report 2025, prepared jointly by the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The report places Himachal Pradesh among the top five states in India on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, with an overall score of 77 for 2023–2024. The state’s per capita income has nearly tripled since 2011.
According to the report, Himachal performs better than the national average in 9 out of 16 SDG targets, particularly in affordable and clean energy, clean water and sanitation, decent work, and economic growth.
Speaking at the event, Sukhu said the state is pursuing environment-friendly development, which is reflected in the UNDP report. He also warned that rising temperatures and changing weather patterns linked to global warming are increasing the frequency of natural disasters. The state government, he added, is preparing a roadmap to tackle these challenges.
Sukhu criticised the Centre for delays in releasing disaster relief funds, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced ₹1,500 crore in aid for disaster-hit areas but the amount has not yet been received. He urged leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party to take up the issue in Delhi, saying the state government is ready to join them in seeking the funds.
The Chief Minister added that he would meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the chairperson of the 16th Finance Commission in Delhi on Tuesday. His demands include lifting the borrowing restrictions imposed after the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), permission for an additional 2% borrowing, and the restoration of GST compensation.
Sukhu said the end of GST compensation in June 2022 has caused the state to lose thousands of crores in revenue from its pharma hub. “We used to receive ₹3,500 crore earlier; now it’s only ₹150 crore,” he said, adding that the issue will be raised with the Centre.
