CM Sukhu directs district administrations to verify beneficiaries and tighten oversight to prevent misuse of welfare funds
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has ordered a local audit of the Sahara Scheme, directing officials to ensure that the programme’s benefits reach only eligible beneficiaries. The decision came during a review of the Sahara and Himcare health welfare schemes at the state secretariat.
Sukhu instructed district administrations to set up three-member verification committees to check the eligibility of Sahara Scheme beneficiaries across the state. The move aims to tighten oversight and improve delivery of support to genuinely eligible residents.
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Emphasising the government’s focus on health sector reform, the chief minister also directed authorities to link Sahara beneficiaries with the Him Parivar portal, a central digital database, to improve monitoring and service access.
Sukhu issued updated guidelines for the Himcare scheme, including new face recognition checks at the time of registration. The Departments of Health and Digital Technologies and Governance have been instructed to implement the technology to verify beneficiaries’ identities.
He said the government will analyse Himcare data to assess disease prevalence in the state and use the findings to inform evidence-based health policy. State officials have also been asked to clear pending payments owed to private hospitals under Himcare and to approve treatment for beneficiaries in private wards within government health institutions.
Highlighting the government’s vision of a “Healthy Himachal”, Sukhu said the state has expanded advanced healthcare facilities, including robotic surgery units, a State Cancer Institute, and PET and SPECT scan services. He also referred to initiatives such as 70 model health institutions, the Rogi Mitra scheme, wellness centres, and the trauma centre at IGMC Shimla as key steps to strengthen health services across Himachal Pradesh.
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