New Delhi, March 21 -- In a significant fiscal crackdown, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday announced a six-month salary deferment for ministers, MLAs, and top-tier bureaucrats, alongside a Rs.3,586-crore reduction in the state's total budget.

While presenting the 2026-27 budget in the Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Minister called for collective cooperation across all sectors, emphasizing a transition toward state self-reliance. The overall budget outlay has contracted from Rs.58,514 crore in 2025-26 to Rs.54,928 crore for the upcoming fiscal year.

Sukhu attributed this decline to " extraordinary financial challenges" caused by the central government's decision to stop the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG).

"We are...