Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the proposed alternative to MGNREGA proposed by the Central Government was not in the interest of Himachal Pradesh and could adversely affect lakhs of workers.
He was addressing a public gathering at Neri Kalan in the Kasauli assembly constituency of Solan district. He announced Rs 20 crore for the construction of the Johadji–Malla road and inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 12 development projects worth Rs 90.66 crore.
“The Central Government has stopped regular recruitment under armed forces and MGNREGA scheme has also been changed causing hardship to many people. Had Himachal Pradesh’s annual revenue deficit grant (RDG) of Rs 10,000 crore not been curtailed, the state would have become self-reliant by this year itself,” he said.
Referring to the Kishau Dam project, Sukhu said that he strongly represented the interests of Himachal Pradesh during a meeting with the Union Home Minister. “The state government did not accept the earlier terms and has now secured 211 MW of electricity for Himachal Pradesh without any additional financial burden. This was expected to generate annual benefits of around Rs 600 crore for the State,” he said.
Sukhu said that the State Government had launched several initiatives to strengthen rural economy and enhance farmer’s incomes. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, maize and wheat had been announced to benefit the farmers.
He added that under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana, women’s groups and youth clubs were being encouraged to undertake plantation activities. The Forest department was supplying saplings and providing incentives for their protection and maintenance.
The Chief Minister stated that Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country to enact a law granting orphaned children the status of “Children of the State”. “The Government was bearing the cost of their education, accommodation, upbringing and other essential needs up to the age of 27 years. Under the Indira Gandhi Sukh Shiksha Yojana, the Government was also funding higher education for children of widowed and single women,” he said.
Sukhu said that the quality of education had declined during the previous BJP Government and Himachal Pradesh had slipped to the 21 position nationally. “Almost 7,000 teachers have been recruited and 150 CBSE schools have been started. Additional teachers would be recruited by July to further improve educational standards in these schools,” he assured.
He said that efforts were underway to ensure best healthcare facilities and availability of high-quality medicines in government health institutions.
Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri said that the Chief Minister was working tirelessly and had effectively raised the concerns of Himachal Pradesh in New Delhi, resulting in tangible benefits for the State.
MLAs Ram Kumar, Sanjay Awasthi and Bawa Hardeep and former MLA Tilak Raj Sharma, besides others, were present on the occasion.
