Himachal Pradesh Passes Massive Supplementary Budget Amid Economic Controversy

The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has passed a supplementary budget of Rs 40,461.95 crore for 2025-26. Despite criticism from the Opposition about the state's economic management, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu defended the budget as necessary, citing loans taken to ease public hardship.

The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha approved a supplementary budget amounting to Rs 40,461.95 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented the supplementary budget, which passed through a voice vote.

This massive budget includes Rs 36,374.61 crore allocated for state projects and Rs 4,087.34 crore for centrally-sponsored schemes. The budget aims to infuse funds into power generation, disaster relief, and infrastructure development among other areas.

Despite criticism from Opposition Leader Jai Ram Thakur about its size and implications for the state's fiscal health, Chief Minister Sukhu defended the supplementary budget as essential. He explained the increment resulted from necessary loans to safeguard residents from difficulties due to policy changes at the central level.