Key Points

According to a release, reminiscing about his student days, he said, "I was the SCA President during college days. Watching today's cultural performances, I found them quite similar to those from my time. What stood out was the larger number of female participants. As students, it's natural to have aspirations, but one must be prepared to face real-life challenges after completing their degrees. With honesty, determination, and hard work, one can succeed in life."

The Chief Minister shared that he studied in a government school and came from a humble background. "It's from such beginnings that I have now been allowed to serve the State as the Chief Minister," he said.

On assuming office, he inherited a debt burden of Rs. 75,000 crore and liabilities of Rs. 10,000 crore of the state government employees, which led to the launch of a campaign for systemic reforms.

"When we assessed the education system of the state, we found that Himachal had slipped to the 21st position in terms of quality education by 2021. There was a pile of announcements made by the previous BJP government. We decided not to let students suffer due to this. Hence, we merged 1,000 schools and introduced several other reforms to provide students with quality education," he said.

"English medium was started from Class 1, and both teachers and meritorious students were sent abroad for exposure visits. Despite opposition, we established a dedicated Directorate for School Education. Due to these reforms, Himachal has now climbed to 5th place, but we aim to reach the top."

Sukhu said that from next year, ten Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding schools will be made operational, and Himachal Pradesh will soon become the number one state in the education sector. He also emphasised the importance of improving healthcare.

"A patient's illness worsens without proper treatment, so ensuring timely and accurate care is essential. The State Government is set to invest Rs 1,100 crore in upgrading medical colleges. I am pleased that the first robotic surgery machine has already arrived in Chamyana. Equipment similar to that in AIIMS is being brought to our state medical colleges. Within three months, PET Scan and 3-Tesla MRI machines will be installed in the medical colleges of the State, and major transformations in healthcare will be visible within a year."

He said that the state government has hiked stipends, increasing the allowance for MD doctors from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,00,000, with similar increases for super-speciality doctors. "Dental students pursuing MD too will see their stipends raised on the same lines," he added.

Highlighting the need for financial prudence, the Chief Minister stated that while the previous BJP government misused the state's resources, the current government is committed to ensuring development by saving every penny.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Col. Dhani Ram Shandil said that such programmes give suitable platform to the students to showcase their talents and build their personalities.

"Today's youth are the future of our country. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the State Government has adopted orphaned children as 'Children of the State' to ensure their care and education. Himachal Pradesh is the first State in the country to enact such a law giving orphans legal rights. He treats everyone as his own," he said.

He announced a prize of Rs 5 lakh for the students who presented the cultural function.

MLA Harish Janartha, college Principal Dr. Ashu Bharti, college staff, and students were also present on the occasion.

- ANI