Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday asked the officers to ensure time bound and effective implementation of various centrally sponsored development and welfare schemes so that benefits could reach to the targeted and the down trodden sections of the society.

Presiding over the meeting to review the centrally sponsored welfare schemes here, the CM said the schemes were aimed at welfare of every section of the society and development of every area of the state with special emphasis on those areas which had remained neglected so far due to one reason or other.

Thakur said that under the Saubhagya Yojana as many as 6,101 electricity connections have been provided to BPL and poor households in the state. He said that the Union Government has provided 10 crore LPG connections, including four crore free to poor women, under the Ujjawala Yojana to shield women from kitchen smoke. He said that this scheme was being effectively implemented in the state.

Apart from it, the state government has also launched Himachal Grahini Suvidha Yojana to provide gas connections to women left out from this scheme.

Thakur said that under the Gramin-Sheheri Aawas Yojna as many as 1,800 houses had been constructed or assistance had been provided for repair of houses to poor families.

Apart from it, target had been fixed to construct 7,385 houses for rural poor, out of which 4,522 houses had been constructed and work was in progress on the remaining houses which would be completed soon.

The CM said that the 681 bighas of land had been transferred for construction of AIIMS at Kothipura in Bilaspur district. In addition, 666 bighas would be provided soon for construction of this ambitious project. This institute would provide world class health services to the people of the state nearer to their homes.

He said that in order to provide best information regarding the health of soil to the farmers, as many as five lakh soil health cards had been provided to them under the Mrida Swasthaya Yojana. This would help them in providing micro-nutrients to their land as per the deficiency in the soil and would also go a long way in doubling the income of the farmers.

Thakur said that Ayushman Bharat Yojana was being effectively implemented in the state to provide the better health services to the people of the state.