Government committed to developing rural, urban areas in state: Vikramaditya

Public Works and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh today chaired a review meeting of the development works in all 24 panchayats of the Basantpur development block falling under the Shimla (Rural) assembly constituency and said the state government was committed to develop all rural and urban areas in the state.

Singh said under the 15th Finance Commission, a sum of Rs 62 lakh was allocated for development works in Basantpur, and the construction activities were currently underway.

He said the Basantpur development block that was operational since 1996 encompassed an area of approximately 2,117 hectares and included 24 panchayats and 225 revenue villages.

Rs 6.12 cr spent on works in current fiscal

In the current fiscal year 2024-25, a sum of ~6.12 crore has already been spent on development works under the MGNREGA scheme. A total of 455 works have been approved, and of these, 51 have been completed while 404 are in progress. — Vikramaditya Singh, Public Works and Urban Development Minister

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He said under the MGNREGA scheme, Rs 9.98 crore was spent in the fiscal year 2023-24, with 1,440 works having been approved. Of these, 510 development works had been completed and 930 were underway. “For the current fiscal year 2024-25, a sum of Rs 6.12 crore has already been spent and 455 works have been approved, of which 51 have been completed and 404 are in progress,” he said.

The minister also said there were 382 self-help groups operating in the Basantpur block that received low-interest loans from the government to meet their needs. In light of damages caused by recent rain, relief funds have been provided to 113 individuals whose homes were partially or fully damaged.

The minister said while some panchayat heads were performing well, others were showing indifferent in utilising the approved funds, which was concerning.

He urged the panchayat representatives to ensure the timely expenditure of sanctioned funds to benefit the community. Panchayat secretaries were instructed to complete all formalities for construction works within the stipulated timeframe otherwise, actions would be taken against them.

‘Medicinal plants being planted across state’

The Public Works and Urban Development Minister today said the state government was planting medicinal plants on vacant government and private land across the state.

He was addressing a gathering during a plantation drive organised by the AYUSH Department as part of the National Campaign on ashwagandha, in Sunni, around 49 km away from the state’s capital, Shimla.

During the programme, the minister planted an ashwagandha sapling, and distributed plants to representatives of urban local bodies and villagers.

Ashwagandha plants were being planted in areas with a climate suitable for their growth, he added, stating that other medicinal plants such as Haritaki, Baheda and Amla would also be planted in climate-appropriate regions.

“A total of 2,000 medicinal plants were distributed during today’s plantation programme” he said.

The minister urged villagers to ensure the care and maintenance of the saplings after planting, so that the plants could thrive and contribute to improving the local economy in the future.