Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presents the State Budget 2025-26, in Shimla, on March 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday (March 17, 2025) presented the annual Budget for the year 2025-26 and said the state government will focus on promoting religious and eco tourism besides exploring lesser-known tourist destinations.

While presenting his third annual Budget for FY26, Mr. Sukhu said the year 2025-26 is full of financial challenges as revenue deficit grant has been reduced and GST compensation has been stopped.

Focus is on promoting religious tourism and exploring lesser-known tourist destinations, he said and added that tea estates would be developed as eco-tourism destinations, he said.

Informing that the debt liability of the state has risen to ₹1,04,729 crore out of which ₹29,046 lakh have been taken by the present government, he said 70% of the loan taken in the past two years was spent on repayment of loan taken by the previous government and its interest component. Only ₹8,093 was spent on development activities.

He announced a hike of ₹6 in the minimum support price of cow milk from ₹45 to ₹51 per litre and Buffalo milk from ₹55 to ₹61 per litre.

Mr. Sukhu said that a target has been set to bring one lakh farmers under Natural farming in 2025-26. So far about 1.58 lakh farmers have taken to natural farming.

Farmers growing kachi haldi (raw turmeric) naturally will get Minimum support price of ₹90 per kg, he said, adding that the state government plans to set up a Spice Park in Hamirpur.

Daily wages of workers engaged in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by ₹20 from ₹300 to ₹320 per day, the Chief Minister said.

In order to combat drug abuse in Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister announced the constitution of a Special Task Force (STF).

He said that about 500 electric buses will be purchased in 2025-26 and the Shimla Ropeway project will be started in the next fiscal year.

He also announced several schemes for agriculturists, women, disabled and children and said that separate directorates for school and colleges would be constituted.