BJP Legislators Launch Scathing Critique of Himachal Government in Budget Session
On the twelfth day of the ongoing Budget session in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly, BJP legislators mounted a vigorous offensive against the state government, highlighting significant deficiencies in healthcare infrastructure and questioning the fulfillment of budgetary commitments. The opposition members raised pressing concerns regarding the reported phasing out of the Himcare health scheme, originally launched during the previous BJP administration.
Healthcare Infrastructure and Policy Under Scrutiny
During discussions on the cut motion concerning the health and family welfare department, BJP MLAs Pawan Kajal and Vipin Singh Parmar brought attention to recurring failures in quality tests for medicines manufactured in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area. They demanded explanations for the government's apparent inaction regarding these critical pharmaceutical standards.
Parmar specifically advocated for more stringent policies to promote generic medicines and called for substantial upgrades to the Kandaghat laboratory facilities to ensure better quality control mechanisms across the state's healthcare system.
Robotic Surgery Machines and Himcare Scheme Controversy
The BJP legislators expressed strong reservations about the government's substantial expenditure on acquiring multi-crore robotic surgery machines for all medical colleges. They argued that these considerable financial resources could have been more effectively allocated toward upgrading essential hospital facilities that directly benefit a larger segment of the population.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur confronted Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over what he termed "baseless claims" regarding the Himcare scheme. Thakur specifically addressed the CM's assertion that an internal audit had uncovered bills generated for ovarian surgeries performed on male patients.
Thakur clarified that this information resulted from improper briefing and explained that the treatments in question were conducted under Himcare package "Code M003," officially listed as "CT for CA Ovary." According to Thakur, this category is utilized for treating patients suffering from rare cancers that lack established treatment protocols. He emphasized that the Himcare scheme has provided crucial medical support to lakhs of economically disadvantaged patients and urged the government to address any irregularities rather than discontinuing the beneficial program.
Financial Allocations and Development Funds
In response to questions posed by BJP MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Vinod Kumar, and Randhir Sharma, Chief Minister Sukhu disclosed that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) had sanctioned 331 projects worth Rs 2,513 crore for Himachal Pradesh over the past three years, up to January 31 of the current year.
The Chief Minister further revealed that the central government had provided Rs 44,519 crore to the hill state under various funding heads during the same three-year period. Thakur seized upon this information to counter what he described as false allegations from the Congress government regarding insufficient central funding. He accused the state administration of engaging in "political vendetta" by allegedly withholding development funds from constituencies represented by opposition legislators.
Sukhu firmly denied these allegations, asserting the state government's commitment to balanced development across all regions. He highlighted that Thakur's own Seraj constituency had received the highest disaster relief allocation, contradicting claims of partisan fund distribution.
Digital Fraud and Law Enforcement Statistics
The Chief Minister informed the assembly that Himachal Pradesh had recorded 585 cases of digital fraud over the past three years, resulting in financial losses totaling Rs 150 crore. In response to questioning from Badsar MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Sukhu detailed that 258 accused individuals had been arrested in connection with these cases, with involvement established for four bank employees.
Authorities have successfully recovered Rs 10.25 crore of the defrauded amounts. The Chief Minister emphasized that state police have strengthened their investigative capabilities, including the implementation of AI-based tools to prioritize and expedite cyber fraud investigations.
Tax Collection and Road Safety Data
Through written responses to questions from BJP MLAs Jeet Ram Katwal and Trilok Jamwal, the Chief Minister shared that Himachal Pradesh had registered total State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) collections of Rs 16,169 crore over the past three years, demonstrating consistent growth in revenue generation.
Additionally, the state collected Rs 8,154 crore from excise taxes during the same period up to March 19 of the current year, with excise collections also showing a positive upward trend.
Regarding road safety, Sukhu provided detailed statistics in response to Manali MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur's inquiry. Over the past three years, the hill state witnessed 6,515 road accidents resulting in 2,643 fatalities and 9,999 injuries. While 2,253 accidents occurred in 2023, this number decreased to 2,156 in 2024 and further reduced to 1,929 in 2025. January 2026 alone recorded 177 road accidents, highlighting ongoing transportation safety challenges.
