Shimla: Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will introduce new-age, employment-oriented courses and will be designated as the nodal agency for green hydrogen in the state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Friday while addressing the 57th Foundation Day celebrations of the university.
The Chief Minister also announced a grant of ₹5 crore for launching a B.Tech. programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI), stating that the university must equip students with skills required for emerging technologies.
Extending his greetings on the university’s Foundation Day, the Chief Minister said HPU would play a key role in promoting green hydrogen research and innovation in the state. He emphasised that the university must align itself with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and data storage to meet future challenges.
To support this vision, he announced financial assistance of ₹5 crore for starting the AI engineering course at the university.
Recalling his association with HPU, the Chief Minister said he had spent eight years at the institution and had begun his political journey there.
“This University has given me the opportunity to learn many things. I have risen to the position of the Chief Minister after studying here. Vice-Chancellor Professor Mahavir Singh is also associated with this institution, and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda is one of its distinguished alumni. Today, Himachal Pradesh University and its alumni are making significant contributions across the country,” he said.
Highlighting reforms undertaken by the state government, Sh. Sukhu said the Congress government inherited a difficult financial situation after assuming office but had still prioritised improvements in the education sector.
He said that according to a Central government survey conducted in 2021, Himachal Pradesh ranked 21st in education, but had now improved to fifth position in quality education due to reforms introduced by the present government.
The Chief Minister said the government had closed around 500 educational institutions that had been opened by the previous BJP government for political considerations and instead focused on strengthening the quality of education. Initiatives such as English-medium education from Class I, Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding Schools and exposure tours for students and teachers had been introduced to improve learning outcomes.
He added that over 150 new CBSE-affiliated schools had been opened across the state and these reforms were yielding positive results. Unlike previous years, when students shifted from government to private schools, enrolment in government schools had increased by more than 24,000 students, he said.
Stressing the need for reforms in higher education, the Chief Minister said universities should focus on introducing modern, industry-oriented and employment-generating courses. He also announced that students and teachers of Himachal Pradesh University would be sent on exposure visits to enhance their academic and practical knowledge.
Speaking about the health sector, Sh. Sukhu said the government was simultaneously working to modernize healthcare infrastructure. He noted that residents of Himachal Pradesh spend nearly ₹1,000 crore annually on medical treatment outside the state and said the government was upgrading healthcare facilities to reduce this dependence.
He said robotic surgery facilities had already been introduced in four medical colleges, with procedures costing around ₹1.25 lakh, while the state government was providing a subsidy of ₹80,000 per surgery. In addition, ₹125 crore had been allocated for establishing five automated laboratories, which are expected to become operational by December.
The Chief Minister also announced that Himachal Bhawan in Delhi would be completed within about a month, providing affordable accommodation to students and other residents of the state visiting the national capital.
Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stones of a modern digital library, to be constructed at a cost of ₹10.25 crore, and an Administrative Block for the University Institute of Legal Studies, to be built with an outlay of ₹6.09 crore.
He said the digital library would provide students with access to modern e-resources and research material, while the new administrative block would strengthen legal education and further enhance the academic standards of Himachal Pradesh University.
