SHIMLA 18th February, 2023
Shiv Pratap Shukla sworn in as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh in a simple but impressive ceremony held at Raj Bhawan here today. Acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sabina administered the oath of office and secrecy to him. Shiv Pratap Shukla took the oath in Sanskrit.
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Lady Governor Smt. Janki Shukla were also present on the occasion.
The Governor was also given an impressive Guard of Honour on the occasion.
Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena read out the warrant of appointment.
Secretary to the Governor Shri Rajesh Sharma obtained the signature of the Governor on the charge certificate.
Mukesh Agnihotri, Deputy Chief Minister, Kuldeep Pathania, Speaker, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, Jai Ram Thakur, Leader of Opposition, Dr. (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Harshwardhan Chauhan, Industries Minister, Jagat Singh Negi, Horticulture Minister, Rohit Thakur, Education Minister, Anirudh Singh, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, Vikramaditya Singh, PWD Minister, Judges of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, Rajeev Shukla, MP and Incharge State Congress, Tajinder Singh Bittu Co-incharge of State Congress, Pratibha Singh, MP and State Congress President, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Sunil Sharma, Principal Advisor, IT and Innovation to Chief Minister, Gokul Butail, MLAs, Justice P.S. Rana, Chairmen, Human Right Commission, R.D. Dhiman, State Information Commissioner, Rameshwar Singh Thakur, Chairmen, Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, DGP Sanjay Kundu, Lt General S.S. Mehal, GoC-in-C, ARTARE, Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen and Members of various commissions, boards and corporations, Vice-Chancellors of Universities, senior officers of the police and civil and other prominent people were also present on the occasion.
Later, while interacting with the representatives of the media, the Governor said that it was a higher post of the constitution and he would work in coordination with the State Government.
Expressing gratitude toward the President of India for his appointment as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, the Governor said that he would work in accordance with the Constitution. He said that he would complete the works started by the previous governors and would also urge the Chief Minister to cooperate in completing those works on priority. He said that Himachal Pradesh is a leading state in the field of education and now he would contribute towards quality education.
He said that he would travel most of the time by road only in H.P. so that he could know the problems of the people and understand Himachal more closely. He said that Sanskrit is the mother of all languages and has taken this ritual forward by taking oath in ‘Devbhasha’ in Devbhoomi. He said that he would also work for the skill development in the state so that the younger generation could be benefitted.
He expressed his concern over the growing illegal trade of drugs in Himachal Pradesh and said that this evil was rapidly taking our young generation, the future of the country, in its grip. “The saddest situation is that today drugs have reached even in remote areas, which needs to be stopped”, said Shukla. He said that Law and Police Administration work at their own level but there was a need to make the society aware. He added that it would be his endeavor to ensure the participation of every person by making the campaign of de-addiction more widespread through educational institutions and social organizations.
“Himachal is the land of gods and there should be no place for drugs here. I would also appeal for the cooperation of the media so that they become partners in my efforts in this direction.
Shri Shukla said that he was impressed by the hospitality of the people of the state.
In the early morning, the Governor before taking the Oath performed Yajana along with family members.
Shiv Pratap Shukla was born on 01.04.1952 in village Rudrapur Post-Khajni of Gorakhpur district, did his primary education in Rudrapur Khajni village and completed his graduation in law from Gorakhpur. He worked as Sangathan Mantri of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Politically, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1983. He was elected as a Janata Party candidate from Gorakhpur Nagar assembly constituency for the first time in the year 1989. After that he was re-elected in the year 1991 and took the charge of Minister of State independent charge of Basic Education, Adult Education and Language Department in the government of Kalyan Singh, the Chief Minister of the first BJP government of Uttar Pradesh. He also took over the responsibility of the Horticulture Department, Sports, Youth Welfare and Food Processing Department.
He was re-elected to the Vidhan Sabha in the year 1993. After being elected to the Vidhan Sabha for the fourth time in 1996, successfully discharged his duties as Cabinet Minister of Prison, Law and Justice and Rural Development Department in the government of Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh. After this, on 10th June, 2016, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. On 3rd September, 2017, took over the responsibility of the Minister of State for Finance, Government of India in the Narendra Modi Government. He successfully discharged his duties as a Rajya Sabha member till 4th July, 2022.
