Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday directed officials to take strict action in cases of drug trafficking and illegal mining in Himachal Pradesh.

He presided over the second day of the conference comprising Deputy Commissioners and Inspectors of Police. DCs and SPs of Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra attended the conference and made detailed presentations.

“The government is considering setting up a dedicated wing headed by an IG-level officer to step up action against the drug mafia,” he said. He said the state government was committed to take all possible measures to save the youth from falling prey to drugs. He also recommended community involvement to curb illegal mining.

The CM directed the DCs to review the flagship schemes of the state government at the subdivision level and submit the report by December 31. He said that the state government has introduced new performance based rules for annual evaluation reports of all DCs and SPs. , a shift from the previous descriptive scoring system to a numerical rating approach to officer ratings.

He directed them to expedite FCA clearances to facilitate timely implementation of various development projects for public benefit. He pointed out that any delay in processing FCA cases would lead to accountability measures for the responsible officers.

He also said that the government is actively working to strengthen the rural economy and Himachal has become the first state in the country to fix minimum support price (MSP) for milk. Besides, MSPs have been offered for crops produced through natural farming, he said.

He also instructed the DC to identify suitable land for solar projects as part of an initiative to establish green panchayats across the state.

Sukhu said the state government had adopted 6,000 orphans as “children of the state”. He instructed the DCs to counsel the orphans who have completed the age of 18 by informing them about the various provisions of the Mukhyamantri Sukhashray Yojana so that they can benefit fully from it.

To tackle the issue of stray animals, Sukhu asked them to identify land for constructing cow sheds at the district headquarters. He pointed out that stray animals are a menace on the roads leading to accidents and creating challenges for farmers and directed the district administrations to prioritize the issue.

Sukhu asked officials to promote tourism activities in their districts as it remains a top priority for the government. “The state government is focusing on tourism, hydropower, data storage and food processing sectors with a strong commitment to promote green industries in Himachal Pradesh,” he added.

Senior Adviser to CM Ram Subhag Singh, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Director General of Police Atul Verma, Administrative Secretaries and various heads of departments also attended the conference.