New era of all-round and inclusive development in Himachal: Thakur

Shimla: On the occasion of 49th Statehood Day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur extended his felicitation to the people of state.

"This historic day is an occasion to remember and express gratitude towards those great personalities of the State, who have contributed a lot in bringing this State into existence and attaining a special identity for the state. This is also an opportunity to remember and pay homage to Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister of the State, who laid a sound foundation for the future development of the State," said Thakur.

"Within a year, big developmental projects worth Rs. 9,500 crore have been approved in principle for important areas like tourism, agriculture-horticulture, irrigation and drinking water conservation from the Central Government. Liberal financial assistance has also been received during this period and as a result, the development of the State has gained momentum. A new era of all-round and inclusive development has been witnessed during this period in the State, he said in a statement.

The present State government completed one year in the office on December 27, 2018.

The chief minister said his government has given the highest priority to good governance. To ensure people's faith in the government, immediate steps were taken towards the protection and empowerment of women, unprivileged and weaker sections of the society. The Gudiya Helpline and the launch of Shakti Button App were major steps in this direction.

In its very first Cabinet, the age limit for getting Social Security Pension was reduced from 80 years to 70 years without any income limit as a matter of respect and honor to the senior citizens. This decision benefited 1.30 lakh senior citizens at that time and presently about two lakh senior citizens are getting the benefit of increased pension of Rs.1300 per month, he added.

Jai Ram Thakur said the state government has also sanctioned more than 76,000 new pension cases of different categories. Another 21,000 new cases have also been approved since January 2019. At present, 5.11 lakh people of different categories are getting increased social security pension in the state.

The State government announced more than 30 new schemes in its maiden budget presented on March 9, 2018, in Vidhan Sabha. The works on all these schemes have been started. Jan Manch, Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojna and Mukhya Mantri Swavalamban Yojna have become very popular in particular. New schemes introduced in the areas of tourism, agriculture-horticulture, education, and health have also made an impact on the socio-economic life of the people.

With the aim of redressing the grievances of the people living in far-flung areas of the State at their doorsteps, 'Jan Manch' has become a more significant and popular programme of the government. Now people do not have to visit government offices time and again for their small works. On June 3, 2018, the first round of Jan Manch was organized in the State, since then ten rounds have been organized, in which more than 22 thousand complaints have been resolved. The other States have also been motivated to start such programme in their respective states, the chief minister said.

"Several incentive schemes have also been started with the aim of promoting industrial investment and creating employment opportunities to the youth of Himachal Pradesh. 'Mukhya Mantri Swavalamban Yojna' has been started with a budget provision of Rs. 80 crores, under which 25 percent subsidy in capital investment along with other concessions are being provided to the youth. Women are entitled to 30 percent subsidy under this scheme," he added.