Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said that Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh will witness massive development.
Expressing confidence that the district would witness a significant development over the next five years, he said that the present state government would ensure the progress and prosperity of grassroots communities.
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The people of the area would get improved water supply, healthcare and other essential facilities nearer to their homes, he said, while addressing a public gathering at Matour in the Kangra Assembly constituency on Tuesday.
He announced for setting a division of the Jal Shakti Department in Kangra and assured the introduction of new courses in Matour College, besides strengthening water and electricity schemes in the area.
The construction work for the Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Kangra would begin soon, he said and announced to construction of a new bridge over Jalodi Khad.
Revealing his deep-rooted connection with Kangra, he stated that despite the people supporting the Congress, few have frequently shifted their political allegiance.
The Chief Minister said that the government was committed to revitalising the rural economy, as over 80 percent of the population of the state resides in rural areas and highlighted several measures to strengthen the rural sector.
“The government has increased the purchase price of milk by Rs.15 and for the first time launched a scheme to purchase cow dung in the state. Apart from this, the state has procured 4,000 metric tonnes of maize produced through natural farming at Rs. 30 per kilogram,” he said.
“From the next season, wheat will also be procured at Rs. 40 per kilogram. The daily wage for MNREGA workers had been increased by Rs 60, raising it from Rs 240 to Rs. 300. These efforts aim to empower the rural community,” he asserted.
He said that a milk processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres was being established at Dhagwar in Kangra which would benefit approximately three lakh farmers.
Reiterating the importance of good governance, he said, “Good governance requires Good Government.”
He criticized the previous BJP government education policy, which led to the decline of enrollment in schools.
Sukhu assured that the present government was working to improve the education system to meet future challenges.
He said that the present state government has also made reforms in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) norms to evaluate the performance of all officers and officials of the state government.
Necessary reforms were being made in the health sector.
“The Government is providing state-of-the-art medical equipment in medical colleges of the state, similar to those at AIIMS Delhi. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for advanced machinery in Tanda, IGMC and Ner Chowk Medical Colleges. Additionally, UV filter technology is being adopted to improve water quality in the state,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that reforms introduced by the state government were aimed at benefiting the common masses and dealing with challenges posed to the state’s resources.
He urged the public to support the decisions of the government, including the rationalization of subsidies, encouraging the affluent to forgo subsidies.
The policies and actions of the previous BJP government had widened the gap between the rich and the poor, he claimed.
He said that our government has settled over 2.42 lakh pending revenue cases through special ‘Intkal Adalats’, organized for the first time in the history of the state. Apart from this, the government has sanctioned 31,000 posts in various departments, as compared to the BJP’s tenure.
On the occasion, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Chairman R S Bali commended the Chief Minister for ushering in a new era of development.
He praised the efforts of the Chief Minister to support widows, orphans, and marginalized groups and said that his leadership during the recent state disaster was recognized globally.
