· Rs. 20 lakh project to facilitate transportation of fruits and other agricultural produce
Horticulture, Minister Jagat Singh Negi today inaugurated Himachal Pradesh’s first HP SHIVA monorail project at the Palhota-2 HP SHIVA Cluster in Mandi district.
Constructed at a cost of approximately Rs. 20 lakh, the monorail project is one kilometre long. The Palhota-2 cluster covers an area of 28.44 hectares and is associated with 85 farmer families.
The Horticulture Minister said that the monorail project would prove beneficial for farmers and horticulturists in the region. It would facilitate the transportation of fruits and other agricultural produce grown in difficult and sloping terrain from one place to another. The facility would also help save the time and labour of farmers and horticulturists while reducing transportation difficulties.
He said that the state government was continuously working to integrate modern technology into the horticulture sector, strengthen the economic condition of farmers and expand basic infrastructure in rural areas. He said that modern facilities such as monorail projects would play an important role in the development of horticulture in Himachal Pradesh.
The Minister said that the HP SHIVA project, funded by the Asian Development Bank at a cost of Rs. 1,292 crore, was being implemented in seven districts of the state: Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Sirmaur and Una. The main objective of the project is to increase the income of farming families.
He further said that, keeping the interests of farmers in mind, the duration of the HP SHIVA project had been extended by two years, from June 2028 to June 2030.
The Horticulture Minister said that February 27th 2027, had been set as the deadline for completing all activities across 3,000 hectares under the first phase of HP SHIVA and ensuring the handover of all clusters to farmers.
