Uproar, walkout in House proceedings as HP govt, Opposition clash over HIMCare scheme

Although Health Minister Dr (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil informed the House that total pending dues amounted to Rs 364 crore, BJP MLAs alleged that there were incidents where families had to mortgage valuables, including a grandmother’s mangalsutra, to pay for medical treatment.

Attacking the previous BJP government over the health insurance scheme, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “The HIMCare funds were misused, undue benefits were given to private hospitals, and hospital bills were manipulated”. “The government has released Rs 550 crore for the scheme and henceforth it would be ensured that the needy and poor get the benefit,” the CM said while replying to a question from the BJP member.

Sukhu asserted that large-scale irregularities have been detected in the scheme, but still is very much in operation and mapping has been started to improve it.

The situation escalated when the Speaker disallowed BJP MLA Vinod Kumar’s request to raise the issue as a Point of Order, prompting Opposition leaders to walk out of the House.

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania adjourned proceedings for five minutes and appealed to the Opposition to cooperate. He also directed that all undesirable remarks against any minister or member be expunged from the records.

Meanwhile, data tabled in the House by Shandil stated that the Himachal government continues to operate the HIMCare health insurance scheme, but official figures reveal a massive pending liability towards hospitals providing services under the programme.

According to the government data, an amount of Rs 364.20 crore (Rs 3,64,20,29,707) is yet to be paid to various health institutions across the state for treatments provided under the state insurance scheme. A detailed institution-wise breakup of these dues has been attached to the official records.

HIMCare, a flagship health insurance scheme launched to provide affordable healthcare to eligible beneficiaries, offers cashless treatment in both government and empanelled private hospitals. However, the mounting dues have raised concerns among healthcare providers about timely payments and service continuity.

The government clarified that in the private sector, only dialysis services have been empanelled under the scheme. Currently, 25 private health facilities are registered exclusively to provide dialysis treatment to patients. A detailed list of these facilities has been appended to the government’s official response.

The revelation comes amid ongoing discussions in the state about strengthening public healthcare and expanding health insurance coverage. Stakeholders believe that clearing pending payments and empanelling more private services will be crucial for the smooth functioning of HIMCare, especially in remote and rural areas where patients rely heavily on such schemes.

‘One year required to restore facilities in Seraj’

Leader of Opposition and former CM Jairam Thakur also expressed concern over the slow pace of restoration in Seraj, which was among the worst-affected regions during this year’s natural calamities.

“At least one year will be required to restore full facilities in the disaster-affected Seraj,” he said, adding that road connectivity, public infrastructure, and essential services remain severely impacted.

“Out of 299 water supply lines, 241 were completely damaged in the June 30 natural disaster in my area Seraj. The Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) department led by Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri is able to restore 225 water lines temporarily which means that these lines will again be affected after one month. In my point of view, the pace under which the state government has been working, it will take almost one year to restore completely affected basic facilities in the area. Almost 3,000 people were affected only in the Seraj constituency which is the worst affected,” Thakur, who is an MLA from Seraj, said.

The former Chief Minister further alleged deep-rooted factionalism within the Public Works Department (PWD), accusing the government of politicising administrative functioning. “PWD officers in Seraj are divided into two groups — one controlled by the PWD minister and the other by close aides of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu,” Thakur claimed.

Meanwhile, the government has defended its relief efforts, maintaining that restoration works are underway despite challenging terrain and weather conditions.

818 schools across the state shut down or de-notified

The Himachal Pradesh government has either shut down or de-notified a total of 818 schools across the state over the past three years, citing low or zero student enrolment, state Education Minister Rohit Thakur informed the house on Tuesday.

According to a reply submitted by the Education Minister, as of July 31, 2025, these closures were carried out under a state-wide rationalisation policy aimed at ensuring optimal utilisation of teaching staff and infrastructure. Out of these, 535 schools with less than five students have been merged with nearby institutions located within two or three kilometers.

The merger and closure process primarily targeted schools in areas where student strength had dropped sharply, making it unviable to maintain separate institutions. Officials said the step was necessary to improve academic standards and streamline resource allocation in the wake of declining enrolment in certain rural belts.

District-wise data on these closures and mergers has been compiled under the Education Department’s rationalisation plan, which aims to strengthen existing schools by pooling resources and improving teacher-student ratios. The details were supplied in the House on the question of BJP MLA Randhir Sharma of Shri Naina Devi Ji constituency.

(With PTI inputs)