Himachal Pradesh government will accord top priority to develop the neglected areas of the state.

Addressing a public meeting at Balghar in remote Chopal constituency of Shimla district, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that he himself is from a humble background and he understands the developmental needs of a common man.

“In the very first cabinet meeting, we lowered the age limit of old age pension without income limit from 80 to 70 years and this decision has benefitted 1.30 lakh aged people of the state. And it is for the first time that 30 new schemes have been announced in the budget with adequate budget provisions,” he said.

Thakur said that the some of his friends in the Opposition were not even able to digest his visits to Delhi to call on the Union leaders for detailed discussions on developmental needs of the state. He said now when the state government has succeeded in getting central assistance of Rs 4365 crore for the state, these leaders has nothing to say.

“The people are well aware what the previous state government did in the five years for the state,” he said.

He laid foundation stones and inaugurated 13 developmental projects. He said that Chopal Assembly constituency has remained neglected in matter of development for the last many years.

The chief minister said it is first time in the country that any state government is using state helicopter for heli taxi service from Shimla to Chandigarh for three days in a week.

He said that the Union Government sanctioned 69 highways for the State and now the State Government has prepared DPRs of 54 National Highways so that the projects could be executed at the earliest.

He said that the tenure of UPA at the Centre had been tarnished with various blots of corruptions and scams. Today the Modi government at the Centre was ensuring that India emerges as a major power amongst the major countries of the world.

He announced that a helipad would be constructed at Ghagal for promoting the area from tourism point of view.

Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said that the people of the state have given a massive mandate to the BJP in Himachal and due to benevolence of Prime Minister and BJP National President, the state got a honest and dynamic Chief Minister in the form of Jai Ram Thakur.

He said that from the day one the state government was working for the welfare of the poor and marginalized section of the society. He said that the increase in import custom duty on apples would ensure remunerative prices of apple to the farmers.