Shimla, Jan. 2 -- Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that to make Himachal a self-reliant state, the focus would be on green and sustainable energy-- to protect the natural beauty of the state-- as well as promoting religious tourism. Emphasising upon the importance of religious tourism, Sukhu said, "The New Year comes with renewed resolve to work faster. The religious tourism serves as a vital bridge between heritage and modern development, where millions of devotees visit annually to seek spiritual fulfilment in state's Shaktipeeth's, while boosting local livelihood. The beautification of the lesser known religious shrines and development of new religious circuits would be the government's focus." "State faced three challenges during the past three years, the worst being the natural disaster followed by economic and political upheaval but the government, with the blessings of divine power, and cooperation of the people overcame these challenges," said Sukhu, who along with his wife and Dehra MLA Kamlesh Thakur visited the Tara Devi Temple near Shoghi to pay obeisance on the New Year's occasion. Speaking about the state's financial condition, he said "When we came to power, state was under a debt of Rs.76,000 crore, and a liability of Rs.10,000 crore due to the Sixth Pay Commission. We faced all these challenges. During the BJP government's tenure, the revenue deficit grant was around Rs.11,000 crore, but we received only Rs.3,200 crore. Despite this, we managed to carry out all works." "Certainly, to repay old debt we are taking fresh loans, and we are trapped in a debt cycle. To come out of this, we are moving ahead with fiscal discipline and financial prudence," said the CM while expressing satisfaction that the state economy had begun moving towards self-reliance. CM Sukhu said he will take up the issue regarding the recent trade agreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the concessions on apple imports could adversely affect Himachal's apple economy. "I will write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. The Himachal's apple farmers should not suffer," he said. The recently signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand, has reduced the import duty on apples from New Zealand to 25% from 50%, leaving the apple growers of the state worried as the influx of cheaper New Zealand apples in the market will cause local apple prices to fall. Harish Chauhan, convener of the Joint Kisan Manch, said, "The FTA comes as a death warrant for the apple growers of Himachal. There is a serious need for the Centre government to rethink the move to safeguard the interest of the farmers in hill states where the economy depends mostly on apple farming." Deepak Singha, president of the stone fruit association and an apple orchardist, said, "The farmers are worried as New Zealand is the first country to get a discount and even in other FTA with other countries there is a fear that this concession will continue which will definitely crash the prices. This is a serious concern as if such discounts are extended to the countries like Iran which sells its apple at a very low rate that will mean doom for the apple economy in the state." Sohan Thakur, president of the Apple Growers Association, said, "The production costs in Indian hill states are significantly higher than in New Zealand, where yields per hectare are much greater, giving imported apples a decisive pricing edge in wholesale markets."...