Sukhu: Himachal govt committed to provide transparent and responsive administration
Dharamshala: The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is committed towards providing a transparent, responsive and accountable administration to the people of the state, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said this while addressing a mammoth 'Jan Aabhar Rally' organised at Zorawar Stadium, Dharamshala.
This was first public show of strength after the Congress forming the government in the state. The rally, aimed to express gratitude to the people of Kangra, the biggest district of the state, for their massive mandate in the favour of Congress party in the recently held Assembly elections.
This is the first visit of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to the district after becoming the Chief Minister of the state.
The Chief Minister said the state government was here not to enjoy power, but for bringing about a change in the system. He said that after being sworn-in as chief minister, he visited the Girl Child Care Institute, Tutikandi in Shimla and felt that a lot more is required to be done for the destitute children, women and senior citizens.
"We have decided to set up 'Chief Minister's Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh' with an outlay of Rs 101 crore so that it can meet the basic educational facilities of the children and destitute women," he declared at the rally.
The state government, he said, will bear the entire expenditure on skill development education, higher education and vocational training of such children.
They will also be given financial assistance from time to time so that they can lead a respectable life, he added
Launching a scathing attack on the previous BJP government for opening over 900 institutions in different parts of the state without any budgetary provisions, Sukhu said that this was simply done to lure the people and, with an eye on assembly elections, haphazard announcements were made.
The state government cracked a big paper scam going on since the tenure of the BJP government in the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission, Hamirpur, which had became a den of selling question papers.
Taking a bold decision, our government suspended the functioning of the Commission. The state government will ensure free and fair examinations for different posts, he said.
Sukhu said that the state government would implement all the ten guarantees as promised in the Congress manifesto during Assembly elections in a phased manner, adding that the government will implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in its first Cabinet. Besides, a decision to provide Rs 1,500 to women in the age group of 18 to 60 years would also be taken soon.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, while addressing the audience, took a jibe at BJP leaders and remarked that it seems that these leaders were finding it difficult to digest the defeat and thus were issuing baseless statements.
