Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu rose to the top post from a humble beginning. Son of a bus driver, he ran a milk supply corner to support his family. After leading Congress to victory in Shimla municipal polls after a gap of 11 years recently, the 4-time MLA talks about his vision to make Himachal Pradesh the richest state in 10 years in an interview with ET. Edited excerpts:

Now that you have completed almost six months, what’s your biggest achievement?

We won India’s oldest municipal corporation of Shimla. We replaced BJP after 11 years. This was a big achievement… We got a clean sweep, winning 24 wards while BJP won only nine. People liked the work we have done in these five-six months. People understand the reforms we are undertaking. We have promised to make Himachal the richest state of the country in 10 years. Then we presented a green budget. We have declared six green corridors where EV charging stations will be set up. If an unemployed youth buys a green taxi, he/she will get 50% subsidy. Similar subsidies will be given for buses or trucks too. If anyone sets up a solar project on their land, they will get a 40% subsidy. Our main focus is to develop Himachal as a green state by 2026. We are aggressively pushing for green hydrogen and solar energy in setting up industry. Another focus of our budget will be on tourism. We have made a big jump from a budget of ₹50 crore to ₹3,000 crore. We are expanding Kangra airport, connecting all district headquarters with heliports, inviting companies for medical tourism, and promoting health tourism. Our plan is to develop Kangra as our tourism capital.

Talking about Kangra, it is the biggest region of the state and regarded as the most politically significant district where the Congress won 10 seats out of 15 assembly seats. But there is a perception that its representation is minimal in the cabinet. Why’s that?
It is not about representation but about the work of people. There are many people at different posts from Kangra. One must not just see representation in the cabinet. There are many CPS (chief parliamentary secretaries) and chairman of cabinet rank. People of Kangra want jobs and that’s why we are focusing on developing industry, wellness centres, heliports and IT parks. That’s our focus.

How do you see Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification?
This is a total political conspiracy. Congress is the principal opposition party and in this party, Rahul Gandhi is the main leader. If one of his statements can become the basis for his disqualification, then anything can be done to regional parties. Hence it’s important for all parties to come together.

There has been a tussle with companies over levy of water cess. How do you plan to resolve this?
Companies get 100% profit on hydro projects. It’s a one-time investment. On those who have completed their projects, if we impose water cess, they must give the cess readily. The land is ours, minerals and water are ours, and we do not get anything. How can they not give us the cess? Investment does not mean exploitation. This will help in generating revenues for the state.

How do you plan to promote investments to boost income?
We are asking investors to come forward. They are most welcome and must submit a DPR. The government will take care of all the permissions. We do not want to rely on yearly investor summits. Tourism, green hydrogen, and health infrastructure are our focus.

Your government has decided to implement the Old Pension Scheme. This will be a burden on the exchequer. How do you plan to raise the resources?
We have come to work for the welfare of the people and have restored the Old Pension Scheme, benefiting about 1.36 lakh employees. I do not think OPS will have much impact on state exchequer.

Is that because you think the Centre will give the corpus under NPS?
The Centre has our ₹10,000 crore and they must give it. I am positive they will give it sooner or later. This is our right. Giving OPS is morally and socially correct.

But the state already has a shortfall of ₹75,000 crore. How do you plan to overcome this?
It is true we have an economic crisis. We have a debt of ₹75,000 core and additional liabilities in the form of arrears of ₹11,000 crore. We are undertaking big-time administrative and economic reforms. We have put an end to corrupt practices. Now, we have put a deadline on projects. We will give incentives for timely completion of projects. Earlier, projects took 5-10 years. Now, we have brought down the time limit. Good governance is our focus.

Opposition BJP has highlighted how you have shut hundreds of institutes including schools opened during their tenure…
Had this been an issue, people would not have voted for us in the municipal corporation elections. What is the point of having a school where there are no students? In place of these, we are opening modern Rajiv Gandhi boarding schools with the latest technology. Every constituency will have a school with a capacity of 1,000 students. These will be completed in two years.

BJP also accused that naming Mukesh Agnihotri as deputy CM is unconstitutional. What do you have to say about this?
For the BJP, haathi ke daant dikhane ke kuch aur, khane ke kuch aur (There is a big difference in what they practice and preach). BJP-ruled states have deputy CMs – be it UP or Maharashtra. They have double standards. Their intent is to keep our government under pressure. But they will not succeed.

Thousands of computer teachers have protested in the state, fearing job losses. Your comment?
This is the creation of one newspaper. There is no anger among computer teachers. There is no fear of job loss.

Apple is the main product of Himachal. Its production has come down significantly this year. Why is that?
See, in the apple industry, one season is good and another is bad – it is a natural phenomenon. Apple production will bounce back and it is not a concern as its temporary phase.

BJP has accused your government of agreeing to admit people on contractual basis…
Our focus is on employment creation. We will admit not just under public commission but also on a contractual basis. There is no question of coming under pressure. Our target is to create one lakh jobs in five years and we are 100% sure of achieving this.

How will you promote tourism?
Tourism, hydro and solar will remain our main focus. We are making golf courses, water parks and shikaras. To help in easy travel for commuters, we are opening many heliports. By 2025, we will connect all the 12 district headquarters with heliports.

How do you think Congress will perform in the 2024 LS Polls?
Things are evolving. 2024 is still far away.