PM Modi may attend chief secretaries' conclave in Dharamshala in June 

SHIMLA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may attend a conclave of chief secretaries of states and Union territories in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh next month, said an official statement issued here on Monday.

However, exact dates of the two-day conclave were not mentioned in the statement issued by the state Public Relations Department.

PM Modi is also scheduled to address a public meeting at Ridge in Shimla on May 31 to mark the eighth anniversary of his dispensation, it said. The prime minister's visit to Shimla holds significance as Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to go to polls in December.

According to the statement, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur held a meeting with NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant and other officials on the conclave and the prime minister's proposed visit to Dharamshala in June.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar and NITI Aayog officials Yogesh Suri and Sanyukta Samaddar were present in the meeting. Thakur has requested PM Modi to attend the conclave, it said.

The prime minister came to Himachal Pradesh about five months ago on December 27 to address a rally at the Paddal ground in the chief minister's home district Mandi to mark the fourth anniversary of the Jai Ram Thakur-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

The chief minister also urged for cooperation from NITI Aayog in improving sustainable tourism, air connectivity and sustainable development of the state.

"Himachal has taken many innovative steps towards tourism expansion, clean energy, ropeway connectivity, electric vehicles and sustainable development," the statement quoted the CM as saying.

Through the ropeway project, Himachal is moving forward in the field of tourism and connectivity by using modern technology, Thakur said, adding that the state is promoting electric and clean mobility by formulating an Electric Vehicle Policy.