New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Thursday evening to discuss key financial and budgetary concerns affecting the state.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised the need for greater fiscal support from the Centre, particularly for special category states like Himachal Pradesh.
One of the main issues raised was the import of apples from Turkey, which has been a growing concern for domestic apple growers. The Chief Minister urged the Union Government to impose a higher, uniform import duty on apples to safeguard the interests of Indian apple farmers, especially those in Himachal Pradesh.
In addition, Sukhu called for an increase in the borrowing limit for Himachal and other special category states by at least two percent, citing the unique geographical and developmental challenges they face. He also briefed the Finance Minister on the reforms and initiatives undertaken by the state government to strengthen fiscal discipline and improve resource mobilization amid financial constraints.
The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Principal Adviser to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh and Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar.
TNR
