Himachal Pradesh denotifies 2,035 government institutions; CM cites staffing, infrastructure gaps

Denotification numbers and rationale

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the Himachal Pradesh Assembly that 2,035 government institutions had been denotified up to July 31, 2025, while 362 institutions had been opened since the Congress government came to power in the state. He was responding to questions raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, including former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, during Question Hour.

Sukhu said the government had taken decisions to close institutions that lacked adequate staff or necessary infrastructure. "The decision was taken to denotify the institutes that lacked adequate staff or necessary infrastructure. Even in the future rationalisation and merger will continue," he said. He added that institutions were being opened on the basis of need, with emphasis on the availability of staff, infrastructure and quality of services.

Of the denotified institutions, 123 have subsequently been reopened at the same locations, the Chief Minister informed the House.

Opposition questions and allegations

Thakur questioned the rationale behind shutting institutions that were later reopened. He asked why such institutions were closed in the first place if they were subsequently found to be necessary. Thakur and other BJP members alleged that the denotification decisions were "politically motivated." They also questioned why institutions had been opened in some areas while similar facilities in their constituencies had been closed.

BJP MLA Hans Raj raised the issue of institutions in the Churah constituency of Chamba, arguing that the difficult geography of the area required special consideration.

Sukhu defended the decisions, alleging that several institutions opened shortly before the previous Assembly elections did not have adequate teachers or students. "The BJP opened 750 schools that lacked both students and teachers. These institutions were closed following consultations with the education minister and officials. Similarly, facilities were opened in the health sector without any doctors or support staff. In contrast, the institutions we have established are located where the public actually needed them; such institutions will continue to be opened in the future," he said.

Chamba and other announcements

Sukhu said the government was giving special attention to Chamba and had allocated ₹200 crore for completing the Chamba Medical College, besides working to strengthen its faculty.

In other remarks during the session, Sukhu said a new policy would be formulated for multi-task workers, and that guidelines regarding Swine Flu had been issued to all health institutions. He also said the 'Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana' would be launched in urban areas of Himachal, and that the state government would consider increasing MBBS seats for the OBC category after census data is released. MLA Janak Raj urged the government to initiate preparations for the Manimahesh Yatra as early as May or June.

Legislative business

The Himachal Pradesh government introduced the Indian Stamp (Himachal Pradesh Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing a comprehensive overhaul of stamp duty rates. Under the proposed amendment, women purchasing property valued up to ₹1 crore would be eligible for a concessional rate of 4%. The state also brought in the Himachal Pradesh State Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026.