2.42 lakh women to get 1,500 per month as pension
Schools in Lahaul Spiti to be closed in winters
BJP government in Rajasthan revoked Old Pension Scheme: CM
Punjab Newsline, Shimla, February 25-
The State Government was fulfilling all its guarantees in a phased manner, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today as he launched Indira Gandhi Pyaari Behna Samman Nidhi Yojana, fourth of its election guarantee, from Keylong, Lahaul & Spiti district. The Chief Minister launched the initial phase of this scheme which provisions Rs. 1,500 per month to all the women of Lahaul & Spit aged 18 or above.
The Chief Minister addressed the locals by saying 'Jule' and said that he was happy to be among them and thanked for their enthusiasm while attending the event in the chilling -9 degree temperature.
The Chief Minister also announced to provide Rs 1,500 from 1st February, 2024 to 2.37 lakh women who were receiving pension of Rs 1,100 in the state. In this way, 2.42 lakh women of the state will receive a pension of Rs 1,500 per month. "We do what we say. We have come to extend the benefits of the schemes to the last person standing in the queue and lay the foundation of self-reliant Himachal," remarked Sh. Sukhu.
He announced that the schools will remain closed in Lahaul Spiti in winters and the session would be held in summers. He also announced opening of Block Development office in Udaipur, Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Darcha, starting of sewerage scheme and water drainage scheme in Keylong, starting a scheme for planned beautification of the city, opening of Public Health Centre in Tindi and a dispensary of Animal Husbandry Department in Madgran.
He recalled that the State Government had celebrated the Himachal Day in 2023 at Kaza in Spiti Valley. It was the first time that Himachal Day was celebrated in the District.
Speaking about the various development schemes introduced by the government in the budget 2024-25 for benefit of various sections of the society, the Chief Minister said that Mukhya Mantri Sukh-Shiksha Yojana has been started to bear the entire cost of education of children of widows till they attain the age of 27. Along with this, daily wage under MNREGA has been increased by Rs. 60 from existing 240 to 300. He said that Himachal has become the first state that ensures high Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, where the MSP for purchasing cow milk has been fixed at Rs. 45, an increase of Rs. 13 from earlier MSP of Rs. 32. Similarly, the MSP buffalo milk has been fixed at Rs. 55. Along with this, the MSP of wheat produced by natural farming has been fixed at Rs. 40 and, similarly, the rate of maize at Rs. 30.
Sh. Sukhu added that the four percent dearness allowance and other dues would be paid to the employees in a phased manner. The diet money of police has also been increased nearly fivefold from Rs. 210 to Rs. 1000, he added.
The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh would become the first state in the country to increase the age of marriage for girls from 18 years to 21 years. He said that the state government has started the Dr. Yashwant Singh Parrmar Vidyarthi Rin (Loan) Yojana to provide loans up to Rs. 20 lakh at one percent interest rate to meritorious students for higher education.
He said that the present State Government inherited empty coffers from the previous government due to the BJP's poor fiscal management. "Despite this, in the last one year, our government has undertaken various measures under Vyavastha Parivartan to improve the fiscal condition of the state. In the first budget, the government laid the foundation of self-reliant Himachal as we cannot depend on loans and has sought ways to increase the state's revenue," remarked the Chief Minister.
The state government was making continuous efforts to reach the last person standing in the queue, said Sh. Sukhu, adding that Himachal was the first state to enact a law to grant the status of 'Children of the State' to orphan children under the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Ashray Yojana. This was a sensitive effort by the state government to reach out to the vulnerable sections of the society, he added.
Sh. Sukhu further stated that the government was committed to fulfill all of its guarantees in a phased manner. "The state government has restored the OPS despite many restrictions imposed by the Central Government, so that a government employee could live with dignity after retirement," said the Chief Minister, adding: "As soon as the BJP government was formed in Rajasthan, the OPS, started during the tenure of the Congress government, was withdrawn."
He added that Himachal faced the biggest disaster in its history, in which 525 people died and 16,000 houses were damaged and despite not getting any financial aid from the Central Government, the State Government released a package of Rs. 4,500 crore to the disaster affected people. The compensation amount in case of complete damage to the house has been increased significantly from Rs. 1.30 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh, he concluded.
MP Pratibha Singh, also the State Congress President, welcomed the Chief Minister to Lahaul & Spiti and expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of the district for various developmental projects. She said that the present state government was working under challenging conditions but still was committed for helping all sections of the society. She said that the State Government was making continuous efforts to fulfill promises mentioned in election manifesto. She said that in the coming time, the benefits of this Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Samman Nidhi Yojana would be extended to all eligible women of the state in a phased manner.
MLA Ravi Thakur expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister for various developmental projects and said that these projects would give impetus to the development of the tribal area. He also congratulated the people on Lahaul Sharad Utsav.
Earlier, the Chief Minister flagged off several ambulances donated by MP Pratibha Singh and also visited exhibitions depicting success of various development activities, schemes and projects carried out by the government. The Chief Minister also unveiled the coffee table book of the district police.
Chairman Zila Parishad Anuradha Thakur, District Congress President Gelson Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar, SP Mayank Chaudhary, Director ESOMSA Pradeep Thakur and other dignitaries were present at the occasion.