Una: HP CM lays foundation for bulk drug park
Shimla: After remaining in limbo for over two and a half years, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday laid the foundation stone for site development and infrastructure works for the proposed multi-crore bulk drug park, which was sanctioned by the Centre during the previous BJP regime.
The project is coming up in the Una district, covering the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Agnihotri welcomed the Chief Minister to his constituency of Haroli and hailed the initiative to proceed with work on the Rs 2000 crore bulk drug park, considered a game-changer for the state’s economy and employment generation drive.
Terming it a project of “national significance”, the CM directed officials to expedite the work of the project. He emphasised that the progress in the work should be clearly visible within the next six to eight months.
He added that this ambitious project would generate extensive employment opportunities for local youth, and in the times to come, this region would emerge as a modern industrial city.
He said this industrial complex would lend new strength to the country’s pharmaceutical sector, making India globally competitive in the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and will reduce dependence on foreign nations for raw materials used in medicines. Only three bulk drug parks are being developed across the country, one of which is being established in Haroli, which is a matter of pride for the state, he added.
Sukhu said that the state government, prioritising public interest above all, has taken the decision to execute this ambitious project itself. The central and state governments are working in partnership on this scheme, with each contributing an equal investment of Rs 1,000 crore.
He remarked that the Central government has disregarded the state’s interests by discontinuing the revenue deficit grant; however, the state government is working tirelessly to steer the state toward a new trajectory of development by firmly advocating for Himachal’s rights and interests before the Centre. Furthermore, by curtailing MGNREGA, the Central government has dealt a blow to the interests of the poor.
