Himachal Expands Anti-Drug Strategy, Afforestation, and Disaster Preparedness Alongside Agro Reforms
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Government of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh has rolled out a series of reforms spanning health, environment, disaster management, and governance.
Anti-drug action: The state sanctioned ₹5.34 crore for a 100-bed de-addiction centre at Kotla Barog, alongside five more centres in Mandi, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Solan and Sirmaur. Additionally, 108 new ‘Disha’ counselling centres have been set up, complementing four existing men’s de-addiction centres and a women’s centre in Kullu. Under a mass awareness campaign, 5.76 lakh people across 5,660 villages and 4,332 institutions have been sensitised. Two major bills were passed: the HP Organized Crime (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, prescribing stringent punishments for drug trafficking, and the HP Drugs and Controlled Substances Bill, 2025, which creates a State Fund for prevention, de-addiction, and rehabilitation.
Disaster risk management: The Chief Secretary directed identification of muck dumping sites in disaster-prone districts (Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Shimla). The State Executive Committee reviewed dam safety compliance for 30 dams, cleared proposals under the National Landslide Risk Mitigation Programme (₹139 crore) and Forest Fire Risk Mitigation Scheme (₹8.16 crore), and approved creating a State Disaster Response Reserve. SDRF/NDRF funds of ₹78.76 lakh were also allocated for debris clearance in Mandi.
Forestry & rural livelihoods: The state launched the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana with an outlay of ₹100 crore, empowering Mahila Mandals, SHGs, and other CBOs (Community-Based Organization) to manage up to 5 hectares each of degraded forest land. CBOs will receive ₹1.20 lakh per hectare, with additional performance-based incentives linked to sapling survival, supported by geo-tagging and a digital monitoring portal. This scheme aims to expand green cover, create rural jobs, and build climate resilience.
Agro-industrial performance: At its 262nd board meeting, the HP Agro Industries Corporation reported ₹33 crore turnover and ₹93.34 lakh net profit in April–August 2025, compared to ₹40 crore and ₹92.25 lakh in the same period of 2024. Revenue sources include petroleum, cement, lubricants, tyres, and animal feed. Plans are underway to expand with a new petrol pump at Nurpur (Kangra).
Governance efficiency: Of the 1,087 Cabinet decisions taken between January 2023 and June 2025, 1,039 have been fully implemented, with instructions to expedite the remaining 48.
Himachal’s package of measures shows an integrated governance approach, targeting drug addiction as a public health and law-and-order challenge, embedding communities in afforestation for livelihoods, strengthening disaster risk governance, and improving transparency in Cabinet decision implementation. The reforms highlight how a disaster-prone, resource-scarce hill state is attempting to balance social protection, environmental resilience, and economic stability.
What is the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana?
→ A ₹100 crore afforestation programme engaging community groups (CBOs, Mahila Mandals, SHGs) to restore degraded forests, with direct payments and incentives for sapling survival, linking ecological health with rural employment.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can Himachal institutionalise sustained financing and monitoring so that its anti-drug reforms, afforestation schemes, and disaster-preparedness measures remain effective even under fiscal stress and recurring climate shocks?
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De-addiction & Drug Policy | Disaster Management SEC Meeting | Agro Industries Performance | Cabinet Decisions Implemented | Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana