Statehood Day celebrated at Bilaspur.Rapid Progress witnessed by State in 44 years : Virbhadra Singh

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Shimla,
After hoisting the tricolour on the occasion of 45th Statehood Day in the premises of Senior Secondary School (Boys) at Bilaspur  today,  Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh had made various announcements which included up-gradation of many health and educational institutions, new roads, buildings  and bridges  for Bilaspur district and  gifted Sub-Tehsil for Kalol in Jhanduta assembly segment. He also announced to allot plots for all the left-out Bhakra dam oustees within four months.  He announced for construction of new bridge at Bagchal for which adequate funds would be made available, he said. For better connectivity of Bilaspur town it with the areas on the other side of the lake, the Chief Minister announced to construct a new bridge at Beri-Darola.

The Chief Minister announced up-gradation of PHCs Kudera and Panjgain to Community Health centers, besides up-gradation of Primary school Patta, up-gradation of Middle School Sihra and Baharnauta to High Schools. He also announced starting of science classes in Senior Secondary School, Bandla in Bilaspur assembly segment.

The Chief Minister announced up-gradation of Middle School Marotan, Gaah, Baala and Chaunta to high schools  in Jhanduta assembly segment. He also announced  up-gradation of Primary School Dholag to Middle School and High School Baloh to senior secondary school. The Chief Minister announced to up-grade High School Chat, Panoh, Salaun in Ghumarwin assembly segment to Government Senior Secondary Schools. He also announced up-gradation of Government Middle School Bhapral, Gahar, Chuwari, Dawala, Liun to High Schools in Ghumarwin assembly segment.

The Chief Minister announced up-gradation of Mehnthi School in Shri Naina Devi ji Constituency. He announced opening of new school at Baag Fagalwaat in GP Solda, announced up-gradation of Primary School Bhandokhar and Nayai Sarli to Middle Schools. He announced opening of office of Tehsil Welfare Officer at Swarghat and construction of Sub-Tehsil Building at Namhol.

Besides, the Chief Minister also announced up-gradation of Primary Health Centre  Talai to Community Health Centre in Jhanduta. He also announced New PHC at Susnaal and Karyalag in Ghumarwin assembly segment.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister said that the State had progressed tremendously in the past 44 years and had witnessed equal and balanced development of all areas, the credit of which goes to the honest and hardworking people of the Himachal Pradesh besides the successive Congress Governments which played pivotal role in development front. The State had achieved many milestones of development during the Congress regime. He said that the people of the State will ever remain indebted to first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru for formation and Smt. Indira Gandhi for granting Statehood Status for Himachal on 25th Jan, 1971.Remembering the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, late Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, Shri Virbhadra Singh said that Dr. Parmar played a significant role in the formation of Himachal Pradesh and initiated   all possible measures for overall development of the State and make it self sufficient.

“ It is my pleasure that I am serving the people of the State for more than 19 years as Chief Minister in my political career  of five decade” said Shri Virbhadra Singh adding that it was due to the blessings and affection  of the people of the State that he was serving the State with renewed commitment.

Chief Minister said that the Government had adopted its election manifesto as a policy document and was committed to fulfill all the promises made to the people of the State well in time. We want to make Himachal a prosperous State in all fronts, said he.

The Government with a motive to provide transparent and responsive administration has adopted ‘zero-tolerance’ towards corruption, he said.

Fulfilling the promises made in the election manifesto, an ambitious Rs 500 crore ‘Skill Development Allowance Scheme’ had been started in the State wherein an allowance of rupees one thousand for skill development was being provided to educated unemployed, besides a sum of rupees 1500 per month was being given to the physically disabled and a separate provision had been made to relax the educational qualifications for different trades under the scheme. So far more than 61 thousand youth have been benefited from the scheme, added he.

To ensure shelter to homeless, two biswas of land in urban areas and three biswas of land in rural areas was being provided to the eligible poor free of cost to construct their own house, said the Chief Minister, adding that as many as 13,270 such homes were constructed under both ‘Rajeev Gandhi and Indira Aawas Yojnas’ by spending 8942 lakh rupees. He said the financial assistance to construct houses under the housing schemes had been enhanced from Rs 48,500 to Rs 75,000.

To ensure food for all, the Government had launched an ambitious ‘Rajeev Gandhi Ann Yojna’ under which as many as 37 lakh people of the State were being provided ration at subsidized rates every month, said he. Besides, a sum of rupees 220 crore was being spent on providing essential edible items to the people of the State under the ‘Food Subsidy Scheme’. Apart from this the BPL families were being provided 35 kilograms of Ration as before. During the last two years Rs. 457 crore have been spent under the scheme.

Social welfare has been the top priority of the Government and the Social Security Pension of Widows, old aged and physically disabled has been enhanced from Rs 450 to Rs 550 per month, besides providing Social Security Pension of Rs 1000 to those above 80 years of age. As of now all 3.5 lakh eligible beneficiaries were being provided Social Security pension. A sum of Rs 366 crore was spent on social security pensions during the last two years.

Besides, 9800 needy were extended immediate financial assistance of Rs. 2361 lakh  from the Chief Minister Relief Fund during the last two years of the present Government.

To empower women of the State a ‘Women Welfare Board’ has been set up in the State and incentive under  ‘Mukhyamantri Kanyadaan Yojna’ has also been enhanced from Rs 21000 to Rs 25000. The financial assistance for inter-caste marriage has been enhanced from 25,000 to Rs 50,000, said the Chief Minister, adding that Rs 217 lakh was distributed under the Inter-caste marriage Yojna. Under ‘Beti Hai Anmol Yojna Rs 998 lakh were spent to benefit 21,851 girl child, added he.

He said that the Government had introduced Market Intervention Scheme for facilitating the farmers and orchardists with sufficient amount for their produce. Besides, Standard Carton for marketing of apples in the State to check their swindling by the middle man. Besides this, an area of 27 lakh square meters have been brought under Anti-Hail net cover on which the Government was providing 80 percent subsidy. He said that a provision of Rs.55 crore has been made in this fiscal under Crop Diversification Yojna.

The Government was focussing on to provide clean drinking water facility to the people of the State and for expansion of Irrigational facilities, said the Chief Minister adding that during the last two years 4600 habitations were provided clean drinking water by spending Rs 460 crore and as many as 3254 handpumps were installed in water scarcity areas. The Government so far  had spent a sum of Rs 270 crore for providing irrigational facility for 8200 hectare area

Besides, the focus of the Government was now to channelize the State rivers and nullahas. A sum of Rs 922 crore was being spent for channelizing the Swan River in Una along with its  73 tributaries which would reclaim more than 7200 hectare of land and make it cultivable. Apart from this a sum of Rs 180 crore was also being spent on channelization of Chaunch Khud in Kangra district.

The Chief Minster said that under MNREGA more than 9.86 lakh people were provided employment by spending Rs 1013 crore.

Added priority was being given to strengthen the Educational Infrastructure in the State and in this direction around 717 schools have been opened/upgraded besides opening of 16 degree colleges in the State so as to provide best educational facilities to the youth in far flung areas of the State and especially for the girl students at their very door steps. To facilitate girls in obtaining higher and better education nearer to their home the Government had opened many educational institutions in the far flung and remote areas of the State and was also ensuring the hostel facilities for the girl child in the colleges recently opened, said the Chief Minister. As many as 2352 posts were created for schools and colleges during the last two years. As many as 7457 posts were being filled by the education department and the process to fill 1755 posts was underway, said the Chief Minister.

We have formulated a policy for regularization of PARA and PTA teachers besides the honorarium of PTA teachers had been enhanced to Rs 10,375 from Rs 7500, that of TGT to Rs 10,425 from existing Rs 6950 and honorarium of C&V teachers has been enhanced from Rs 6750 to Rs 10,125. The honorarium of PAT teachers has also been enhanced to Rs. 8900, he added.

The Government was also giving added priority to the health sector, said the Chief Minister adding that during last two years of the present government’s regime more than 50 health institutions were either opened or upgraded and as many as 730 doctors were appointed who were posted in remote areas of the State. The State Government recently launched the Free Janani Express-102 scheme for bringing expectant mothers before and dropping them home after their delivery and 125 vehicles were introduced for the service. The Chief Minister said that super-speciality facilities were being created in DRPGMC at Tanda and in IGMC, Shimla.

Three new medical colleges at Sirmaur, Hamirpur and Chamba  had been announced by the Government and the work on them would begin soon in near future. A provision of Rs 190 crore each had been made for these medical colleges. Besides this  AIIMS is announced to  be opened in Bilaspur  and Indian Institute of Management in Sirmaur, added the Chief Minister. Rs 122 crore IIIT was being set up in Una district he said.

He said the Government was committed for construction of the roads and developing existing road infrastructure. During the last two years, 910 kilometers new roads and 98 bridges had been constructed in the State. The State Government had succeeded in getting sanctioned six new National Highways, added he. Apart from this, 1300 new buses have been added to the existing fleet of HRTC.

The Government was according approval for setting up new industrial units in the State within 90 days through single window system. During the last two years of the present government regime 118 new industrial proposal were cleared which would provide employment to more than 11 thousand youth, said the Chief Minister. The Government have approved investment proposal worth rupees 2500 crore through the investors meet held recently in metropolitan cities which would provide employment to 8000 youth in times to come. Kangra, Una and Solan were being developed as the potential industrial hubs, said he.

The Chief Minister said that employees were the backbone of any Government and during last two years financial benefits  worth Rs 2035 crore were given to the employees. Besides this the contractual and daily waged employees were being regularized.

He said that the State Government has decided to reopen the administrative tribunal with its headquarter in Shimla and Circuit Bench in Dharamsala in district Kangra.

The Chief Minister said that a provision of Rs. 388 crore had been made for providing cheap power to consumers.

The Government has also included ‘Safai Karamcharis, Auto-Rickshaw and Taxi drivers under the ambit of  ‘Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna’ thereby benefitting more than 4.48 lakh such families, said he.

He said that our Government had all respect and honour for the martyrs and their families and was committed for the welfare of the serving and ex-servicemen of the State. The Chief Minister said that the ‘Samman Rashi’ of the freedom fighters had been enhanced from Rs 7,500 to Rs 10000, besides enhancing the same for the wives and daughters of freedom fighters from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5000. He said that the Government had enhanced the annuity of gallantry awards winners from rupees three thousand to rupees five thousand.

Referring to the problems of the Govindsagar Dam and Pong Dam oustees, the Chief Minister said that necessary steps had been taken for the rehabilitation but still more to be done. He said that the dam oustees, wherever settled at present, the same land may be registered in their names. He said that the Government was committed to rehabilitate the Bhakra Oustees and so far 1441 plots had been distributed to them till date.

Referring to the development of Bilaspur district, the Chief Minister said that five new roads and two bridges were opened under NABARD in Bilaspur besides three other bridges. A sum of Rs. 154 crore has been spent on construction of roads and bridges in the district. He also listed development undertaken in  Bilaspur district during the last two years.

The Chief Minister also presented cash awards of Rs 20 lakh each  to Shri Ajay Thakur from district Solan, Ms Pooja Thakur, from Bilaspur , Ms Kavita Thakur from Kullu for bringing laurels to the State by wining Gold Medals in Kabaddi in Asian Games held at Incheon in South Korea in 2014. He  also distributed cash prizes of Rs 10 lakh to Shri Vijay Kumar from Hamirpur for winning Silver medal in shooting in the Asian games in South Korea.

Besides, the Chief Minister also presented cash award of Rs 8000 to Ravi Thakur for winning silver medal  in Korfball at National level, besides a sum of rupees 4800 each to Kumari Kiran and Kumari Palak for gold medal  in Korfball. He also distributed cash award of Rs 4000 each to Kumari Shelja,  Diksha Kumari, Sangeeta Sharma and Priyanka Kumari  for winning Silver Medal in National Handball championship and Rs 4000 to Archana Devi for securing 2nd position in Handball Nationals. All from Bilaspur district.

A police dog show and mo-bike stunts were also performed on the occasion by girl bikers.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also took an impressive march past from the contingents of the Police, Home-guards, NCC cadets, Scouts and Guides and the   school children.

A colourful cultural function was also organized by the students of different schools, troupes from different districts and the department of Information and Public Relations.

Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, Shri Jagjeevan Pal and Shri Rajesh Dharmani, Chairman Twenty Point Programme Implementation  Committee, Shri Ram Lal Thakur, MLAs Shri Ajay Mahajan, Shri Sanjay Rattan, Shri Bamber Thakur, Shri  Rikhi Ram Kaundal, Shri Randhir Sharma, former MLAs Dr. Biru Ram Kishore, Shri Tilak Raj, Dr. Babu Ram Gautam and Shri O.P Rattan, DCC President Ms. Santosh Dhiman,  Mahila Congress President, Mrs Anjana Walia, Chief Secretary, Shri P Mitra, DGP Shri Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretaries, Shri VC Pharka and Shri Tarun Shridhar, ADGP Shri S.R. Mardi, Deputy Commissioner Smt. Mansai Sahay Thakur, SP Bilaspur Sh.Ashok Kumar and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions were also present on the occasion amongst others.

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