Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said that the state government would work to make the Congress party’s manifesto a policy document. He said this during his address at the first session of the 14^th Legislative Assembly on Thursday at Tapovan, Dharamshala. 

Governor Arlekar said that the state government would always be open to useful and constructive criticism of its policies. He hoped that all the members of the House would give meaningful cooperation in the Assembly.  

He said that for the development of the state, both the ruling party and the opposition should move forward with constructive thinking and spend their time on how to take the state forward. The Governor said that the employees are the backbone of the government. 

The government would maintain cordial relations with the employees and would always consider their genuine problems and demands sympathetically, he stressed, adding that the government would not compromise the efficiency and discipline of the employees at any level. 

Governor Arlekar said that his government has assumed office recently, but even in this short period, the government has taken many important decisions to improve the standard of living of the people and provide clean administration. 

He said that it would be the endeavour of the government to check the rapidly rising unemployment and complete the development projects within the stipulated time period. He added that the government would take concrete measures to control inflation and provide relief to the common man. 

The Governor said that the government has started efforts toward creating employment opportunities for the youth. On the one hand where vacant posts in various departments would be filled, on the other hand, the emphasis would be laid on employment generation in every sector, he added.  

He said that the government would take appropriate steps to protect the interests of all Himachali youths working in the army, retired soldiers, and paramilitary forces. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to providing equal participation to women in development. 

The government would formulate such policies, through which the interests of lakhs of small and marginal farmers of the state could be protected, he added. He also talked about encouraging industrial development in the state.

The government would give top priority to take the benefits of development to the farmer, gardener, labourer, unemployed, and the person standing in the last line of the society, he added.

The Governor said that his government would take effective steps to deal with the increasing crime of illegal felling of trees and environmental damage in the state. He also talked about preparing an action plan to increase the prevalence of electric vehicles in the state and developing proper infrastructure for this. 

He said that his government was committed to fulfilling the promises made to the public in a phased manner. A detailed road map to fulfill the guarantees given in the Congress manifesto would be presented in the Budget Session, said the Governor.