Shimla, Sept 2 – The Himachal Pradesh government has collected ₹1,874.97 crore from the auction of liquor shops up to July 31, 2025.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the Vidhan Sabha that 2,244 out of 2,332 liquor vends were successfully auctioned this year. The remaining 88 shops in Shimla, Kullu, and Mandi could not be auctioned due to low bids and are now being managed by state boards and corporations.
He shared that liquor revenue stood at ₹1,722.80 crore in 2023-24 and ₹1,769.68 crore in 2024-25, though some payments from those years are still pending. The CM also revealed that 266 cases of liquor smuggling and 4,972 cases under the NDPS Act have been registered this year.
677 New Buses for HRTC
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri announced that the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC), which currently operates 3,087 buses, will soon add 677 more. These include 327 electric buses, 250 diesel buses, and 100 mini diesel buses. At present, HRTC already has 110 electric buses in its fleet.
21 New Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools
Education Minister Rohit Thakur informed the Assembly that approval has been granted to set up 21 Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools across eight districts – Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kinnaur, Kangra, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, and Una.
In Chamba’s Udaipur constituency, 50 bighas of forest land have been identified for one such school, and clearance is being sought from the Ministry of Forest and Environment.
Over 1.15 Lakh Apply for Govt Jobs
The Chief Minister also said that 1,15,503 candidates had applied for posts advertised by the State Subordinate Services Selection Board (SSSSB). Since these posts are being re-advertised, the application fee paid by each candidate will be refunded.
Rise in Chitta Cases
The Assembly was informed that drug abuse cases involving “chitta” have been steadily rising.
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In 2023, there were 1,133 chitta cases out of 2,147 NDPS cases.
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In 2024, 834 out of 1,714 cases involved chitta.
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In 2025 (till July), 625 out of 1,279 NDPS cases were linked to chitta.
