New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today congratulated the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance (DDT&G), Government of Himachal Pradesh, for receiving national recognition at the 6th Governance Now Digital Transformation Summit & Awards held in New Delhi.

The award was conferred recently during the summit and was formally handed over to the Chief Minister by Gokul Butail, Principal Advisor (Digital Technology, Innovation and Governance) to the Chief Minister, yesterday.

He said the state was honoured for its flagship initiative 'HimParivar', which has been appreciated for its innovative use of data analytics and digital technologies to strengthen governance and improve public service delivery.

He said that such technology-driven interventions enhance transparency, improve efficiency and support the government's vision of effective last-mile delivery of benefits.

The Chief Minister lauded the dedicated efforts of the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance in developing citizen-friendly digital services and strengthening digital governance across Himachal Pradesh.

He expressed confidence that the department would continue to work with the same commitment and innovation to further expand digital initiatives for the benefit of the people of the State.

On Friday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed concern over the Centre's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) policy, saying the reduction in import duty on apples coming from foreign countries would adversely affect apple growers in the state and disrupt the local fruit market.

The Chief Minister said the state government would send a team to discuss the issue with the Union government.

'I will send a team to discuss the matter with the Union government,' Sukhu said, referring to the impact of FTAs on Himachal's apple economy.

The Chief Minister said apple growers across Himachal Pradesh are worried that the Centre's policy of reducing import duties on apples under various FTAs would make foreign produce cheaper and uncompetitive for local farmers. He said he had recently met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and other senior Union ministers, during which the issue was raised in detail.

Sukhu said the Centre has already constituted a team to assess how the reduction in import duty would affect domestic apple growers, and that the state government's representatives would also be part of the exercise. (ANI)