Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a 50 per cent decline in enrolment in primary schools.

This was revealed by Education Minister Rohit Thakur in the state assembly during the Question Hour on Saturday.

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Thakur said that in 2003-04, there were 12,404 schools in the state with 9.71 lakh students, but by 2023-24, the number of students had decreased to 4,29,070. However, the number of schools has not decreased.

The Education Minister said that the teacher-student ratio in the state has improved from 1:22 in 2002-03 to 1:11 in 2023-24, which is the best in the country. “In tribal areas, the ratio is 1:3.”

“In the past two years, 3,450 teachers have been appointed in the state. However, many posts are still vacant in far-flung areas like Chamba,” he informed the House.

The Minister assured that most of the new appointments would be made in schools where posts are vacant and where the teacher-student ratio is poor.

In response to a question by BJP MLA Deep Raj (Karsog), Horticulture Minister Jagat Negi said that eight old processing units are functioning in the state, where farmers are being trained in fruit processing, and 60 training camps are being organised.

Negi said that a processing unit has been set up in Parala at a cost of Rs 120 crore to prepare apple juice and 1,800 metric tons of fruits have been processed in various units.

The Minister further said that the marketing work is being done by HPMC and APMC and the state government has given Rs 400 crore to APMC for setting up new marketing yards at various places in the state.

Responding to a question by Congress MLA Anuradha Rana (Lahaul-Spiti), Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that there is no provision for giving grants to panchayats.

Agnihotri said that the area of glaciers in the Chandra basin has decreased by 2.4 per cent, while in the Bhaga basin, it has decreased by 3.2 per cent.

In Miyar, the glacier area has decreased to 376 square kilometres, and in the Spiti basin, it has decreased by 2.4 per cent, he added.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that this is a very alarming trend, and therefore, the state government has prepared a DPR of Rs 1,300 crore, which includes 145 snow stupas, 1,100 snow racks, and snow points.

Agnihotri also assured that they would take up this issue with the Centre and demand funds for snow harvesting measures.

Anuradha Rana pointed out that her district is very dry, as it receives very little rainfall and snowfall. She suggested that like Ladakh, snow harvesting measures should be taken in Lahaul-Spiti.

BJP MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary (Ponta Sahib) said that 60 per cent of the land in Himachal Pradesh is unirrigated, and a master plan needs to be prepared to check the decline in groundwater levels.

Chaudhary said that the groundwater level in the state is decreasing continuously, and it needs to be recharged. The Centre is working on this under the Jal Jeevan Mission.