Nadda criticizes Himachal govt for surrendering ₹100cr Medical Devices Park

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday rejected the Congress government’s allegation that Himachal was being discriminated against by the Centre, asserting that the Narendra Modi-led government had consistently extended substantial financial assistance to the state across key sectors, including roads, railways, health, education and power.

Addressing a press conference, Nadda highlighted various Central allocations made to Himachal during 2024-25. He said the state received Rs 2,381 crore as Special Assistance, Rs 2,006 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and Rs 2,150 crore under externally aided projects.

“The Centre has never shied away from supporting Himachal. However, poor fiscal discipline on the part of the state government has pushed the state into a debt trap, with liabilities now exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore,” he alleged.

Referring to the Bulk Drug Park project in Una district, Nadda expressed concern over delays in its execution but assured that the project would remain in Himachal.

“The project was approved in 2020-21, but work commenced only in 2025. The Centre has committed Rs 1,000 crore for the project, of which Rs 225 crore has already been released. However, the state has utilised only Rs 102.13 crore so far,” he said.

He also criticised the state government for surrendering the proposed Medical Devices Park, a project worth Rs 100 crore approved in 2022, which he said could have generated substantial employment opportunities.

Highlighting infrastructure development, Nadda said road projects worth Rs 40,000 crore are currently under execution in the state and that 668 km of national highways have been constructed to improve connectivity and promote tourism.

He further pointed to the establishment of institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Sirmaur, the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Una, and Smart City projects in Shimla and Dharamsala, which were implemented with Central assistance.

The Union Minister said the Renuka Dam project in Sirmaur district had been declared a project of national importance and allocated Rs 7,000 crore.

He also highlighted investments in the health sector, stating that AIIMS-Bilaspur had become fully functional with an annual recurring expenditure of approximately Rs 2,000 crore.

“A sum of Rs 547 crore has been spent on establishing medical colleges at Chamba, Nahan and Hamirpur, Rs 400 crore on the PGI Satellite Centre at Una and Rs 200 crore on the super-speciality hospital at Chamiyana,” he said.

Nadda also challenged the state government’s claim regarding the Rs 1,422-crore JICA-funded project, stating that the project had been approved with the consent of the Centre and involved 90 per cent grant assistance.

Earlier in the day, the Union Minister participated in a Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programme at Chaura Maidan in Shimla, where he paid tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar and joined a cleanliness drive around the Bharat Ratna’s statue. The Tribune