Former Union minister Shiv Pratap Shukla takes oath as Himachal Governor

Former Union Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla on Saturday took oath as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh at Raj Bhawan here.

Shukla was administered the oath of office and secrecy by acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sabina. He took oath in Sanskrit.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. Himachal Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena read out the warrant of appointment.

Before taking oath, Shukla performed 'yajana' along with family members.

Later, interacting with the media, the governor said that it was a high constitutional post and he would work in coordination with the state government.

Expressing gratitude to the President of India for his appointment, the governor said that he would work in accordance with the Constitution and complete the work started by previous governors.

He also said Himachal Pradesh is a leading state in field of education and now he would contribute towards quality education.

He said that he would prefer to travel by road so that he could know the problems of the people and understand the state well.

Sanskrit is the mother of all languages and he has taken this ritual forward by taking oath in "Devbhasha" in "Devbhoomi", the governor said, adding that he would also work for the skill development in the state.

Expressing concern over the growing illegal trade of drugs in the state, Shukla said that this evil was rapidly taking our young generation, future of the country, in its grip.

The saddest thing is that today drugs have reached even remote areas, which needs to be stopped, he asserted.

Himachal is the land of gods and there should be no place for drugs here, the governor said, adding that it would be "my endeavour to ensure participation of every person by making the campaign of de-addiction more widespread through educational institutions and social organizations".

A resident of Rudrapur in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Shukla started his political journey from RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. He joined the BJP in 1983 and was elected as MLA in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2016.