Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reviewed the work of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department during a meeting in Shimla. The progress of the state's flagship programme, Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana, was discussed in detail.
According to an official statement, the Chief Minister announced that Jan Samvad programmes under the scheme would be organised from August 6 to 8, 2026. These events will be held at the block level and chaired by local MLAs. Groups of up to ten Gram Panchayats will be combined into clusters for the programme.
Sukhu said families identified as the poorest of the poor from Gram Panchayats across the state will be invited to attend the Jan Samvad programmes.
The interactions will focus on improving the social and economic conditions of these families through various government welfare schemes. The government will use the feedback received during the programmes to design focused measures and ensure they are implemented effectively at the grassroots level.
The Chief Minister said the Rural Development Department had identified nearly 1.78 lakh extremely poor families through a detailed survey conducted in eight phases. He said the aim was to ensure that all eligible families receive the benefits of government welfare schemes, especially those who have been left out in the past.
He added that around 85,000 of these families had never been included in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and had therefore not received the benefits of state welfare programmes.
Sukhu said the Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana was announced in this year's state budget and is now being implemented. He said the government is committed to providing comprehensive support to the identified families and helping improve their living standards and financial condition.
He said that by strengthening the economic position of these families, the government hopes to improve their quality of life and contribute to the state's overall development and growth.
The Chief Minister said the identification survey was carried out in a transparent manner. He added that officials involved in the process were held accountable to maintain the credibility and accuracy of the exercise.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj C Paulrasu, Director Raghav Sharma, Director Digital Technologies and Governance Nipun Jindal, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
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