Himachal CM seeks special central aid

Metro India News | shimla

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday requested a financial package under special central assistance to cover the state’s revenue deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Sukhu, during a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, highlighted the adverse impact of discontinuing the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) on Himachal Pradesh’s financial stability. He noted that the state’s contribution to RDG, at about 12.7 per cent, is the second highest after Nagaland, and added that the situation cannot be compared with larger states, which are better equipped to handle the loss.

According to a statement, Sukhu emphasized that assessing all states by a single standard is neither fair nor transparent. He described the removal of RDG as undermining the spirit of cooperative federalism, pointing out that Article 275(1) of the Constitution provides grants to states unable to meet the gap between revenue receipts and expenditure. The chief minister also said that the Finance Commission, for the first time, overlooked the developmental needs of small hill states.