Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra on Sunday said that Himachal Pradesh will benefit from Union Budget, as the emphasis is on road tunnel, agriculture, horticulture, youth power

Addressing media persons here today, he shared the details of the first budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government and described the Union Budget as the path to developed India.

He said that Himachal will be benefited a lot in terms of infrastructure, wherein a provision of Rs 11 lakh 11 thousand crore has been made for infrastructure development across the country which is 3.4 per cent of the country’s GDP.

“Work on many state highways is underway in Himachal Pradesh. All these projects will get a big boost in this budget. Work is in progress for Highways in the state including Pathankot-Mandi to the tune of Rs 10067 crore, Mataur-Shimla Rs 10512 crore, Kiratpur-Mandi-Kullu-Manali Rs 13784 crore, Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh Rs. 1692 crore, Parwanoo-Solan-Kaithlighat-Shimla Rs 7632 crore,” he said, adding that Himachal will receive a sum of Rs 10351.82 crore from the Central revenue, which is noteworthy.

Malhotra said that similarly, in terms of tunnels, historic works of 5 tunnels worth Rs 2472 crore has been done on Pathankot-Mandi road, 3 tunnels worth Rs 1747 crore on Matour-Shimla, four tunnels worth Rs 5632 crore on Kiratpur-Mandi-Kullu-Manali, four tunnels worth Rs 1231 crore on Parwanoo-Solan-Kaithlighat-Shimla.

The Union Minister of State said that the Prime Minister paid tribute to the martyrs on the auspicious occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas Silver Jubilee celebrations at Drass-Kargil in Ladakh.

“On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Shinkula tunnel. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is constructing a 4.1 km long twin-tube tunnel at Shinkula pass at an altitude of 15,800 feet on Nimu-Padam-Darcha road at a cost of Rs 1,681 crore. This tunnel will connect Lahaul of Himachal and Zanskar region of Ladakh. This tunnel was approved by the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security in 2023,” he said.

He mentioned that Himachal Pradesh has received a substantial allocation in the Railway Budget, with Rs 2,698 crore earmarked for rail projects.

This funding will accelerate the development of Bhanupali-Bilaspur, Nangal-Talwara, and Chandigarh-Baddi rail lines. Additionally, Shimla, Palampur, Baijnath Paprola, and Amb-Andaura will be developed into world-class railway stations, he said.

He also highlighted that Himachal Pradesh will benefit from the Rs 1.5 lakh crore long-term interest-free loan provided to states for resource allocation. Furthermore, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase IV will be launched to provide all-weather road connectivity to 25,000 rural settlements across the country. Himachal Pradesh received Rs 2,700 crore in the third phase of PMGSY, with additional funds expected soon.

“Additionally, immediate disaster relief of Rs 1,782 crore has been provided, along with Rs 1,100 crore for MNREGA and 11,000 houses from the central government. This underscores the central government’s steadfast support for Himachal Pradesh,” he claimed.