Kalraj Mishra takes over as Himachal guv

Shimla: Former union minister and BJP veteran Kalraj Mishra on Monday took oath as 26th Himachal Pradesh Governor succeeding Acharya Devvrat, who was appointed as Gujarat Governor last week.

The 78-year-old Mishra was administered oath by Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice V. Ramasubramanian at the Raj Bhawan in presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

A former RSS pracharak, Mishra had a long political inning in Uttar Pradesh. He had served as a cabinet minister in UP, state BJP president and later also remained as Rajya Sabha member thrice before he was elected to the Lok Sabha poll in 2014.

Mishra held the portfolio of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He had resigned from the union cabinet on attaining the age of 75 years but now finds himself aptly rewarded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mishra says he finds his appointment as 'homecoming' in the state, where he recalled having worked as BJP incharge in 2010 -2012.

Speaking to mediapersons at Raj Bhawan after his oath, he said that drug abuse among the youth is a major concern which is now spread to major towns of Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla. He linked drug issue with health and suggested the government to pay greater attention towards saving the youths, falling prey to the drugs.

"The issue of drugs is such a worrying thing one can't just ignore it. This has to be dealt with very sternly to save our young generation. Only law can't solve this the problem. We need to create massive awareness and hit the issue hard," the new Governor said.

Asked about zero-budget Natural Farming—an agenda which was very high for his predecessor Acharya Devvrat, Mishra said, "It's one priority area in the union budget. We will see how best it can be carried forward in Himachal Pradesh. Acharya ji was very passionate about it and I will also do my bit…it's the state government and the Chief Minister who will have to implement it effectively."

Mishra stressed on environment protection for which Himachal Pradesh has a greater role in view of the climatic changes happening all over the globe. Girls education and empowerment of the specially-abled are another key area of interest for Mishra.

Those who attended the oath included Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore, former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Speaker Dr Rajeev Bindal, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, Cabinet ministers and Mayor Kusum Sadret.