Officials on sensitive posts for long to be transferred: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today issued directions that officials, who were holding sensitive positions in various departments for a long time, should be transferred out.

Sukhu, while chairing a meeting here, said that the state government had taken numerous steps to provide accountable and transparent governance to people in the past two years.

He said that the process of transferring officials, who were holding sensitive positions in various departments for a long time, had begun again. The transfer process had been completed in the State Taxes and Excise Department and a few other departments. The Chief Minister had now asked other departments to prepare for the transfers.

Sukhu directed the Industries Department to include the Himachal Pradesh Forest Development Corporation in the auctioning process for mining leases. He said that the government would formulate new rules for utilising District Mineral Foundation Trust funds so that the money could be used for the welfare of the underprivileged sections of society.

Sukhu said that during the previous BJP government, the revenue from mining was Rs 240 crore. “Due to the pragmatic efforts of the Congress government, the revenue from mining has increased to Rs 314 crore in the last financial year and is expected to reach Rs 360 crore by the end of this financial year. This means that within two years, the revenue is set to grow by Rs 120 crore,” he added.

He said that the government was making efforts to promote green industries in Himachal Pradesh and was encouraging investments in tourism, hydropower, food processing, data storage and the dairy sector. These initiatives would not only help in environmental conservation but would also provide employment and self-employment opportunities to the local youth, he added.

Sukhu said the government was committed to providing affordable electricity to industries, claiming that Himachal Pradesh continued to have cheaper electricity than neighbouring states.