Amit Shah Opens Chandigarh Projects Worth Rs 258 Crore

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated some projects of the Chandigarh Administration and laid the foundation stones of others, together worth Rs 258 crore, on 1 November 2026. Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, was present along with other dignitaries.

What the money covers

The works span six areas: education, healthcare, justice, administration, research and innovation. Two of them were named at the ceremony.

The Home Minister said he expects Chandigarh Police to stand first in the country in residential satisfaction among police personnel before 2029.

A date that carries three anniversaries

The Home Minister pointed out that the same calendar day in 1966 saw the founding of Chandigarh, the formation of Haryana and the creation of the Chandigarh Police. The force also received the President's Colour on this day. Over the six decades from 1966 to 2026, he said, the city has become known across the country for its town planning, and its standing extends through the whole of north India.

Other points from the address

• A target was restated of making the entire country, Punjab included, free of drugs by 31 December 2029.
• Infrastructure projects worth Rs 11 lakh crore are under way in the country, the Minister said, among them the largest cricket stadium, the highest over-bridge and the longest bridge.
• He said electricity, toilets and bank accounts had reached poor households and that every poor person receives five kilograms of free food grain each month.
• He repeated the government's resolve to provide 33 per cent reservation to women.

For the examination

Two facts from this release are the kind that get asked: the Administrator of a Union Territory is a constitutional post, and in Chandigarh it is held by the Governor of Punjab, at present Gulab Chand Kataria. The second is the pairing of 1 November 1966 with the birth of Haryana and of Chandigarh, a date that returns in questions on state formation days.