April 15 is being observed as its 68th Himachal Day in the state. It was on this day in 1948 that Himachal Pradesh came into existence with the merger of 30 princely hill states. Conveying his greetings to the people of state, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said, “ 15th April is a day of rejoicing, and introspection as well. We celebrate the birthday of our State and at the same time ponder over its developmental journey. Himachal Pradesh has made unparallel and unprecedented progress during all these years. Developmental indicators, like per capita income, state gross domestic product, literacy percentage and other basic facilities like, education, health, road etc. in the State are testimony to the progress made by the State during this period.”