Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday issued directions to upgrade all medical colleges in Himachal by the end of this year with modern medical equipment.Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. (File)Sukhu, while presiding over the health department meeting in Shimla, also informed that the state government had filled up posts in the department to address the staff shortage. He said the state government was introducing cutting-edge technology in the health sector at par with AIIMS, New Delhi, and the government would provide full assistance to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.Sukhu said that three advanced testing labs were being established in Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Tanda, Dr Radhakrishanan Government Medical College Hamirpur and AIMSS Chamiyana, and the government had released a total amount of ₹75 crore. He said a PET scan machine had been established at IGMC, Shimla and procurement of PET scan machines for Tanda and Hamirpur medical colleges was underway. ₹3,500 crore disaster resilience infrastructure to be developed in HPChief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday said that the state government would develop disaster resilience infrastructure in Himachal at an estimated cost of ₹3,500 crore to strengthen the state’s capacity to withstand natural disasters and minimize future losses.Presiding over the valedictory session of the high-level workshop on “Towards Resilience Infrastructure Planning in the Western Himalaya” at Dr. Manmohan Singh Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA), Shimla on Friday, he said that Himachal Pradesh, being a mountainous State with difficult geographical conditions, has become increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters. He emphasized that addressing such challenges would require bold policy decisions and necessary changes in development practices. The State Government, he said, was fully prepared to take such decisions in the larger public interest to mitigate the losses.Meanwhile, Sukhu also inaugurated the state-of-the-art digital museum at Bantony, Shimla on Friday.Sukhu said that the museum has been designed to make history accessible and engaging for visitors of all age groups through advanced digital technologies, including high-resolution 3D scanning, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), interactive timelines and immersive storytelling. These innovative features will allow visitors to explore the State’s rich folk traditions, handicrafts, spiritual heritage and the inspiring stories of its freedom fighters in a dynamic and interactive environment.