Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today announced a special relief package for disaster-affected Samej and Bagi areas of Rampur in Shimla district on the pattern of the relief package given last year.
He made this announcement while presiding over the closing ceremony of the four-day International Lavi Fair at Rampur.
He said, “The families, which have lost their homes completely in the disaster, will receive Rs 7 lakh rather than Rs 1.50 lakh while those with partially damaged homes will receive Rs 1 lakh. The state government will provide death certificates and financial assistance to the families of persons, who had gone missing in the disaster.”
Sukhu said that the government had rehabilitated 23,000 affected families last year and provided a special economic package of Rs 4,500 crore without support from the Central Government. He criticised the previous BJP government for allegedly squandering public funds.
Sukhu said that more public welfare schemes would be introduced in the upcoming Budget. He added that while needy families would continue to enjoy subsidy benefits, affluent families would be encouraged to give up such benefits voluntarily.
The Chief Minister said that the state government was committed to strengthening the education and health sectors. “It is the state government’s responsibility to provide education to each child but without proper teachers and facilities, it will be a betrayal of public trust,” he added.
He said that to address this problem, 3,000 teachers had already been appointed on the batch-wise basis while another 3,000 teachers were being recruited. He added that the state government had restored the old pension scheme for its employees and started giving a Rs 1,500 monthly pension to eligible women.
Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the Lavi Fair was a symbol of cultural heritage and trade exchange. He credited the Congress government with a robust disaster response and ongoing development across the state. Around Rs 250 crore had been allocated for road projects in Rampur alone, he claimed.
