Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has said that he will meet the Union Ministers to release the aid to Himachal under the Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA).
“If even after this the Central Government does not release its share of aid to Himachal under PDNA, then the Himachal Government will knock the door of Supreme Court,” he said, while participating in the discussion on the proposal brought by Congress MLA Chander Shekhar in the Assembly on Saturday under Rule-130, demanding the release of aid under PDNA from the Centre.
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During the proceedings of the House, the opposition also created ruckus leading to an atmosphere of uproar for some time.
The Chief Minister in his reply said that many states have knocked the door of the Supreme Court for this assistance and Himachal will also take the same approach.
He said that BJP should help the state government to get the aid under PDNA released from the Centre.
“It is unfortunate BJP that state BJP is not extending support to the state and the people in this matter. The BJP had a similar attitude during the disaster that struck the state last year,” he said, adding that the BJP neither supported the government during the disaster nor is it with the government today when assistance under PDNA is being sought.
The Chief Minister said that the Revenue Deficit Grant that Himachal gets from the Centre is continuously decreasing.
“Himachal got Rs 11,431 crore in the year 2020-21, Rs 10,249 crore in 2021-22, Rs 9,377 crore in 2022-23, Rs 8,050 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 6,258 crore in 2024-25 and only Rs 2,575 crore in 2025-26,” he claimed.
Sukhu said that Himachal has suffered a direct loss of Rs 9905.77 crore and an indirect loss of more than Rs 12 thousand crore during the disaster that hit the financial year.
The Chief Minister said that the amount released by the Centre under PDNA to Himachal is not a charity.
Attacking the opposition saying that it has gone astray, he accused the BJP of going to different states of the country and tarnishing the image of Himachal Pradesh.
Earlier, while presenting the proposal, Chander Shekhar accused the Central Government of meting out step-motherly treatment to Himachal Pradesh.
He sought cooperation from the BJP to release the amount stopped by the Centre under PDNA and said that if the BJP wants, the government will give it the credit for this.
BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar, while participating in the discussion on the proposal said that the Centre has released Rs 11 lakh 11 thousand crore for infrastructure to Himachal which is equal to 3.4 percent of Himachal’s GDP.
“Apart from this, Rs 1 thousand 67 crore has been given for Pathankot-Mandi, Rs 1512 crore for Matour-Shimla and Rs 13 thousand 787 crore for Kiratpur-Manali four lane,” he claimed, accusing the state government of asking for money from the Centre and not even expressing gratitude for it.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri condemned the uproar during the discussion on the proposal and said that the BJP is not discharging the high traditions of the Assembly.
He said that the Congress never boycotted the all-party meeting while being in the opposition nor was it absent from the House on the last day of the session, but the BJP did all this under the leadership of Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur.
Agnihotri claimed that the opposition is in crisis and said that it has been badly humiliated during the winter session.
He also said that the cabinet ministers should go to Delhi and not the opposition to get help from the centre.
BJP is against Himachal and Himachaliyat, he charged.
The House today passed a censure motion against the ruckus created by the opposition in the house during the motion brought under Rule-130. This motion was brought by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan.
He expressed anguish over the events that happened in the house and said that the opposition has become directionless.
“Samosa and chicken are not an issue among the people of the state. Despite this, the BJP tried to make it an issue which is condemnable,” he blamed, holding BJP responsible for the poor financial condition of the state.
