Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today laid foundation and inaugurated development projects worth Rs 88 crore in Kangra.
While addressing a public gathering at Matour in the Kangra Assembly constituency, he said that the previous BJP government was responsible for poor financial condition of state.
The government doled out subsidies to the rich which severely impacted financial condition of the state.
The Chief Minister also announced setting up of a division of the Jal Shakti Department in Kangra and assured the introduction of new courses in Matour College.
He also announced strengthening of water and electricity schemes in the area and said that the construction work for the Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Kangra would begin soon. He also announced to construct a new bridge over Jalodi Khad.
He said the Kangra district would witness a significant development over the next five years and the present state government would ensure progress and prosperity at grassroots level.
The people of the area would get improved water supply, healthcare and other essential facilities nearer to their homes.
The Chief Minister said the government was committed to revitalise the rural economy as over 80 per cent of the population of the state resides in rural areas and highlighted several measures to strengthen the rural sector.
The government has raised the purchase price of milk by Rs 15 and for the first time launched a scheme to purchase cow-dung in state.
Apart from this, the state has procured 4,000 metric tonnes of maize produced through natural farming at Rs 30 per kilogram. From the next season, wheat produced through natural farming will also be procured at Rs 40 per kilogram.
He said 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 rural community.
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.
He criticised the previous BJP government education policy, which led to the decline of enrolment in schools. The present government was working to improve the education system to meet future challenges.
The government has also made reforms in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) norms to evaluate performance of all officers and officials of the state government.
Necessary reforms were being made in the health sector. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for advanced machinery in Tanda, IGMC and Ner Chowk Medical Colleges.
The Chief Minister said that reforms introduced by the state government were aimed at benefiting the common masses and dealing with challenges poised to state’s resources.
He urged the public to support the decisions of the government, including the rationalisation of subsidies, and encouraging the affluent to forgo subsidies.
He said the policies and actions of the previous BJP government had widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
“Our government has settled over 2.42 lakh pending revenue cases through special ‘Intkal Adalats’, organised for the first time in the state” he said.
Apart from this, the government has sanctioned 31,000 posts in various departments, as compared to 20,000 during the BJP’s governments stint in power.
