Central grant for Himachal Pradesh raised 10 times in Budget: CM

Hamirpur, February 2

The Central Government has increased financial assistance for the state from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore in the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said here today that this would give impetus to development in the state.

He said that medical college campus near Jol Sappar in the district would have close railway connectivity and the Central government had approved the project that was in the offing.

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given special grant of Rs 600 crore when the state was in dire need of funds. He said the government had proposed to connect all panchayats of the hill state where road connectivity was difficult through ropeways.

Thakur said there were only 80 gram panchayats in the state out of 3,615 that could not be connected with road connectivity due to tough and hilly terrains that pass through forests. Not only funding but forest clearances from respective departments was a major hurdle in the construction of roads to villages in these panchayats. The new proposal would make it possible to connect these areas with no damage to environment.

Remembering contribution of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Chief Minister said that it was due to Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sarak Yojana (PMGSY) that most of the villages in the state enjoyed road connectivity.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a histopathology lab in the Department of Pathology in Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College at a cost of Rs 84.20 lakh. He also inaugurated a nutritional rehabilitation centre in the medical college

He said that this hospital would have about 250 beds and seven operation theatres. Later, the Chief Minister addressed meeting of BJP mandals. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was also present.