Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda in New Delhi on Thursday to seek central assistance for enhancing the state's health infrastructure.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted the state's needs in effectively implementing schemes like Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission. He emphasised the importance of strengthening healthcare facilities across Himachal Pradesh.
Sukhu also urged the Union Minister to consider setting up a dedicated cancer care centre in the state and to facilitate the introduction of advanced medical technologies and modern equipment in government hospitals to improve patient care. CM Sukhu also requested relaxation in the eligibility criteria for various central schemes and called for the early release of pending funds.
Union Health Minister Nadda assured the Chief Minister that the Centre would fully protect Himachal Pradesh’s interests and provide all necessary support.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by chief secretary Prabodh Saxena, principal advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Resident Commissioner Meera Mohanty, and secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar during the meeting.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Sukhu appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the import duty on apples from 50 per cent to at least 100 per cent in order to curb apple imports from Turkey and protect the interests of the state’s apple growers.
He also called for the implementation of quantitative restrictions on imported apples, according to an official statement.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh is known as the country's 'Apple Bowl' and is famous for producing delicious varieties of apples. The apple is the prime cash crop of the State and generates an income of about Rs. 4500 crore annually. He said that about 10 lakh man-days are generated due to the apple crop, thereby providing direct and indirect employment to more than 2.50 lakh families.
Sukhu also said that he would personally discuss the issue of enhancing the import duty on apples procured from Turkey with the Prime Minister during his upcoming visit to Delhi.
Meanwhile, apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh have demanded a complete ban on the import of Turkish apples into India, citing Turkey's political stance during heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Turkey had backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, in which India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Turkey has also provided military equipment to Islamabad.
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