Himachal government failed to utilise Central funds: J P Nadda

“The Himachal Pradesh government has failed to utilise funds provided by the central government for the welfare and development of the state,” said JP Nadda, BJP national president and Union Health Minister at Bilaspur while interacting with media persons today.

Nadda said that the central government has extended full support to the state and released funds worth over Rs 5,000 crore for rehabilitation of people and reconstruction of the infrastructure damaged due to natural disasters. He added that that despite generous assistance the state government was unable to use the funds to complete and restore infrastructure of major projects.

Nadda reassured that the central government was committed and would continue to support the state. The Centre is keeping a close watch on the disaster-like situations in the state following heavy rain that damaged property and loss of life in Mandi and other regions of the state.

Expressing grief on the loss of lives following the recent rains, the BJP president offered his condolences to the families that lost their near and dear ones.

The union minister categorically stated that the state government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had failed to use funds sanctioned under Ayushman Bharat Scheme. He added that out of Rs 360 crore released by his ministry, only Rs 78 crore had been used so far. He said the Centre had proposed to develop 73 health block units in the state while the state government had only completed six of them and the tender process for 14 is underway. He said the use of facilities and funds as snail’s pace would only delay the project and deprive people of health facilities in the state.

Nadda said that Critical Care Units sanctioned for Reckong Peo, Ghandawal, Mandi, Paonta Sahib, Tanda and Rohru are still incomplete while only two were nearing completion. He said only Rs 1.28 crore of the Rs 521 crore sanctioned under the 15th Finance Commission was used while under the JICA project Rs 1,138 crore were sanctioned, including Rs 113 crore as loan, but the progress remains poor.

Nadda advised the state government to work in the interest of people and expedite the utilisation of the relief funds provided by the Central Government.