Himachal Dy CM Mukesh Agnihotri lays stone of coop training centre in Haroli village

Una, February 8

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today laid the foundation stone of a state cooperative training centre and community building at Panjawar village in his native Haroli Assembly segment of Una district. The government had released the first installment of Rs 5 crore for the construction of the facility.

The centre would be named after Mian Hira Singh, who in 1892 led the first cooperative of the world by organising farmers of Panjawar village to protect their farmlands from the fury of the Swan river during the monsoon.

Agnihotri said that in the absence of a proper legislation at that time, Mian Hira Singh could not register his cooperative society. “The farsightedness and leadership of Mian Hira Singh cannot be forgotten and a cooperative training centre in his village will keep his memories alive forever,” he added.

He thanked the villagers and the management of Baba Bal Puri temple for providing land for the cooperative building project. He said that local social and religious organisations would be allowed to use the complex for public use.

Agnihotri mentioned organisations like Bhuttico and various cooperative Banks providing services to the people of the state. He added that the state’s first cooperative education society was functional at Badheda village in Haroli subdivision and was running LLB, B.Sc and nursing degree courses.

He said that the state’s biggest women’s cooperative, Swan Women (Multipurpose) Cooperative Society, having a membership of over 14,000, was working in Una district for the socio-economic empowerment of its rural members. — OC

Sewerage for Chintpurni temple

• The state government has acquired the encroached land around the Chintpurni temple and will use it for the expansion of the temple and upgrading facilities for pilgrims, said Agnihotri
• A sewerage project for the temple and its surrounding areas will be implemented
• Six buses started for Ayodhya from the state