No role of BJP leaders in grant of Rs 633 crore Central aid: Himachal Deputy CM

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Hamirpur, December 15

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today inaugurated the 24th state-level sports and duty meet of the Forest Department at the sports complex at Anu, near here. Teams from 10 forest circles, wildlife wing, Forest Directorate and the state Forest Corporation are participating in the three-day event.

Agnihotri, while talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the sports meet, said that Rs 633 crore provided by the Central Government for relief and rehabilitation work in the state in the wake of the natural disaster was like a drop in the ocean. The state BJP leadership was hindering the state’s efforts in getting its rightful claims honoured, he added.

He said that BJP leaders were now trying to create a hype on the issue of the Central grant but they had not supported a government resolution to declare the rain fury as a national disaster. He added that the BJP leaders always played a negative role and created hurdles in efforts for the welfare of the people of the state. “Due to the negative approach of the BJP leaders, the revenue deficit grant of the state and the loan limit were reduced. Even foreign funding was capped to curb financial resources of the state,” he alleged.

Agnihotri said that the Central Government had stopped the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to the state. The Centre was yet to clear over Rs 2,500 crore projects of the Jal Shakti Department while a number of roads projects were pending for want of approval, he added.

He said that the state BJP leaders played no role in the Central grant of Rs 633 crore, which was the right of the people of the state. He added that the state had suffered over Rs 12,000 crore losses but still it requested the Central Government to release Rs 5,000 crore but got only Rs 633 crore.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had announced a Rs 4,500 crore package to meet the needs of disaster-hit people.

Local MLA Ashish Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Rajeev Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forest Nishant Mandotra and SP Akriti Sharma were present on the occasion.