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Himachal budget session: State saw 66 drug deaths in last 3 years, says Sukhu
Eight youth died from drug overdose in 2023, 31 in 2024 and 27 in 2025; no drug related death was recorded in January 2026
Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday informed that the state has witnessed 66 deaths due to drug overdose in three years—2023 to January 31, 2026—with 27 deaths reported in 2025.
The data was shared in response to a question raised by Jhanduta MLA, Jeet Ram Katwal, in the Himachal Pradesh assembly session. In reply, the chief minister, who also holds the home department, informed that eight youth died from drug overdose in 2023, 31 in 2024 and 27 in 2025. No overdose deaths were reported January 2026.
Meanwhile, 6,246 cases of drug trafficking and other narcotic substances have been registered in which 5,298 accused were granted bail, the data revealed.
Out of 5,684 chargesheet filed across the state, 5,437 cases are still pending with conviction of 108 and acquittal of 139. The state government also listed steps taken to tacked the issue, including the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act enactment.
State government and the BJP have locked horns multiple times on the issues, accusing each other of not doing enough to fight the menace.
Shimla district saw highest number of NDPS cases
In three years, 639 cases were registered in Shimla district and 1,287 smugglers were arrested. In Bilaspur district, 635 people were nabbed in 396 cases. In Mandi, 530 smugglers landed in police net in 327 cases. While, 275 cases were reported in Kangra, Una and Solan witnessed 287 and 211 cases, respectively. The least number of cases have been reported in Lahaul-Spiti where only two people have been held in two cases in three years. In Kinnaur, 24 people were arrested on charges of smuggling in 17 cases.
Govt spent ₹22.87 crore on advertisements in last three years
Various departments, boards, and corporations of the state government have spent ₹22,87,74,000 on advertisements in the last three years. The information was shared during the assembly.
“Of this amount, the department of information and public relations spent a budget of ₹14 crore, while the remainder was spent by other departments. In contrast, the previous BJP government had spent a budget of ₹28 crore,” said CM, while replying to the query of BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma.
However, the CM noted that a lower amount has been spent on other publicity and promotional activities—including print and electronic media—compared to the previous government.
“The government had spent a sum of ₹22 crore on publicity and promotion. Had this budget been allocated for Dharamshala, work on the Central University’s North Campus could have commenced,” Sharma said.
Responding to this, the CM said, “If Centre agrees to bear the costs for electricity and water, the state government will deposit the funds.”
Need for additional police deployment at tourist spots: CM
CM Sukhu announced to deploy more police personnel to deal with long traffic jams owing what he termed as “over tourism”. CM Sukhu said that during the summer tourist season, additional police forces will be deployed in all major areas to ensure that tourists do not face any inconvenience.
Scrap policy to be introduced in next cabinet meeting
CM Sukhu stated that the state government will introduce a “scrap policy” during the next Cabinet meeting. Under this policy, obsolete items and vehicles lying in government offices, schools, and police stations will be scrapped in a time-bound manner.
Master plan for Naina Devi, Jawalaji: CM
Aiming to cash in on religious tourism, Himachal Pradesh government is mulling to prepare a “master plan” for the beautification of Naina Devi and Jawalaji Temples.
Informing regarding the same, CM Sukhu, said, “Himachal is land of Shaktipeeth and as part of the Vyavstha Praivartan we will be preparing the master plan of Naina Devi and Jawalaji Temple to facilitate the devotees by providing them with world-class facilities for which budget provision of ₹25 crore has been done.”
Naina Devi is located in the Bilaspur district of Himachal, and Jwala Devi is in Kangra district.
CM said that to ensure the systematic development of the Naina Devi, the government is set to appoint an architect within six months. The information was shared by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during question Hour, in response to a query raised by MLA Randhir Sharma, who raised a query regarding the status of installation of lift on temple premises that started in 2017 but was halted in 2023.
Furthermore, the CM assured that the local MLA would be included in the Temple Trust, either as a regular member or as a special invitee.
Earlier, in reply to same question, deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri informed that the work was halted because the area was declared “highly sensitive and dangerous zone” during a geological survey. “The temple trust of Naina Devi had initiated the work of installing a lift for the convenience of elderly and differently-abled devotees. However, according to the Geological Survey conducted by the state government, the entire area of Naina Devi has been declared a “highly sensitive and dangerous zone”. Additionally, due to the narrowness of the proposed site, there was a strong possibility of a large crowd gathering there, which could prove extremely dangerous from a safety perspective. The temple administration and the trust are fully aware and sensitive to past incidents, especially the very tragic stampede that occurred in 2008. Therefore, the decision was taken considering the safety of devotees.”
MLA Randhir Sharma expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s response, alleging that confusion was being spread regarding development work. He argued that the CM had previously assured that work would continue, but now it was being halted citing security concerns.
