Chief Minister challenges BJP on OPS commitment

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while addressing a large public gathering at Bakhli in the Siraj Assembly constituency of Mandi district said that the Congress government would fulfill seven key guarantees on 11 December. Apart from this the government was working tirelessly to introduce more welfare schemes in the near future. The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to serving the common people and said that all the cabinet Ministers were also working with utmost dedication to resolve public issues.

He said that the present state government dissolved the Subordinate Services Selection Commission in Hamirpur after allegations of corruption and paper leaks. He said that he could let the future of the youth jeopardized due to corruption. He questioned the inaction of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur during these incidents.

The Chief Minister said that present state government has discontinued the practice of halting development projects of the previous governments. He said that the present state government has allocated Rs. 28 crore for the Baglamukhi ropeway project which was an example of commitment of congress government towards meaningful development. He accused the previous BJP government of constructing buildings without appointing staff and opening 900 institutions just before the elections without providing adequate budgets and manpower. He described such actions as a betrayal of the public and stressed that the present state government would open new institutions only after ensuring proper staffing.

He said that the previous BJP government has left the state treasury in dire straits, and no money was left to run the government for even a month. He said that the present state government had introduced significant policy changes over the past two years to benefit the common people. He said that the restoration of the old pension scheme for 1.36 lakh government employees, the release of an 11 percent dearness allowance for employees and pensioners and an increase in police diet allowances to Rs1,000. These measures reflect the state’s improving financial health.

The Chief Minister said that the steps were also taken to strengthen the rural economy. The government has introduced schemes like purchasing cow milk at Rs. 45 per litre, buffalo milk at Rs. 55 per litre, maize at Rs.30 per kg and wheat at Rs. 40 per kg. Apart from this the MNREGA daily wages were also increased from Rs. 240 to Rs. 300.

The Chief Minister criticized the previous government for failing to equip hospitals, stating that the BJP government converted hospitals across the state into referral centres by failing to install essential equipment, such as an MRI machine in Ner Chowk Hospital. Apart from this the present state government has started Mukhyamantri Sukh Aashray Yojana to support 6,000 orphan children and provide education for 23,000 children of widows under the Mukhyamantri Sukh Shiksha Yojana.

The Chief Minister criticized the BJP for resorting to trivial politics before the elections on issues like toilet tax and samosas. He accused them of spreading misinformation about the economic condition of the state. Whereas sthe spresent state government has provided a special relief package of Rs. 4,500 crore to families affected by recent disasters entirely from state resources.

The Chief Minister also announced the construction of the Pandoh Bridge.

As part of welfare initiatives, Sh Sukhu distributed certificates to two children for land allocation under the Chief Minister Sukh-Aashray Yojana to help them build houses. He also provided three biswa of land each to two families who had lost their property in the last disaster. Apart from this, he distributed certificates to 14 beneficiaries of the Sukh Shiksha Yojana, under which the government would bear educational expenses of children of widowed and single women.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that Himachal Pradesh was poised to lead in ropeway projects, with the Shimla ropeway to be constructed with an outlay of Rs. 1,750 crore was set to become the second-largest in the world. He said that the construction work on ropeways at Rohtang, Bijli Mahadev, Baba Balaknath and Chintpurni was also started. He said that the ropeways would enhance the connectivity and would provide better experience to the tourists visiting the state.  Apart from this the government was planning to procure 1,000 new buses for HRTC, including 350 electric buses and the introduction of tempo travelers which would enhance public transport in the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister accused opposition Leader Jai Ram Thakur of making false claims about the non-payment of salaries and pensions in HRTC. He clarified that salaries were being paid to all government employees.

Former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister for the providing ropeway to the Mandi district. He praised the present state government for its commendable work and for fulfilling five out of its ten guarantees. He also thanked the Chief Minister for granting an amount Rs. 35 crore for providing financial support to the disaster affected people of Mandi.

Congress Leader Chet Ram Thakur said that present state government has left no stone unturned for the development of Seraj area. He said that the people of Seraj have special compassion for Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and would render all possible support to him. The present state government has announced historic increase in milk prices, which was bringing economic benefits to farmers.

Congress leader Vijay Pal Singh praised Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for personally visiting Siraj during the recent disaster and providing relief to the affected people. He said that the financial assistance of Rs. 7 lakh was given to those whose houses were completely destroyed.

Congress leader Jagdish Reddy also welcomed the Chief Minister and expressed gratitude for the gift of a ropeway.

Former Minister Prakash Chaudhary, Former CPS Sohan Singh Thakur, Chairman APMC Mandi Sanjeev Gularia, Chairman APMC Kullu Miyan Ram Singh, Congress Leader Pawan Thakur, Champa Thakur, Naresh Chauhan, Jeevan Thakur, Vijay Pal Singh, Mahesh Raj, Rajiv Kimta, Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, SP Sakshi Verma and other senior officers were present on the occasion.