Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister said that the villages of the State to which road connectivity was not available due to forest clearance or other reasons would be connected with ropeways facility in the time to come. He was addressing a mammoth gathering after he performed the foundation stone laying ceremony of Police Line Building which would be constructed at estimated cost of Rs. 1.70 crore, Mini Secretariat building which would be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs. 10 crore and inaugurated Block Development Office building constructed at a cost of Rs. 70 lac at Keylong in District Lahaul-Spiti today.
Prof. Dhumal said that women empowerment had been on the priority agenda of the Government and various steps had been taken for the empowerment of women. He said that financial assistance under Mukhaya Mantri Kanyadaan Yojna had been increased to Rs. 21,000 from Rs. 11,001 and single women had also being brought under the ambit of social security pension.
Chief Minister said that State Government had implemented many welfare schemes for the welfare of common man. He said that economic empowerment of people had resulted into increase in per capital income of the people which had reached to Rs. 73,600 now as compared to Rs. 43,000 in year 2007-08. He said that daily wages, social security pension, remunerations of different categories of workers and even representatives of panchayati raj institution were benefitted with increased higher financial benefits.
Prof. Dhumal said that the Government had not only fulfilled the promises but had performed beyond the scope of the same. He said that under Rs. 64 crore Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna four CFL bulbs free of cost were provided to domestic consumers thus saving Rs.110 crore on electricity bills in one year, subsidized essential commodities to all ration card holders being provided by spending Rs. 140 crore over the same besides subsidized electricity to domestic consumers by spending Rs. 190 crore during current financial year.
Chief Minister said that additionally, Atal Swasthya Seva Yojna, free ambulance service was providing people efficient ambulance services with in-house medical first aid. He said that besides providing free transportation facilities to the ill and pregnant women, free institutional delivery with related test facility were available to them and on discharge from the hospital, cash incentive of Rs. 700 was also being paid for nutritious diet to mother and child while medical care for one year was also available, Atal School Uniform to all students studying from first to matric standard in government schools in the State, were provided two pairs of school uniform free of cost with stitching charges of Rs.100 with each pair of uniform by spending Rs. 64 crore over the same, were some of the major schemes which had benefitted every section of the society and find no mention in the Election Manifesto. He said that to benefit the farmers of the State Government had started various schemes like Rs. 353 crore Pandit Deen Dayal Kisan Baagwan Samridhi Yojna, Rs. 300 crore Doodh Ganga Scheme, Rs. 321 crore, Crop Diversification and Organic Farming Scheme, Rs. 85 crore Apple Replantation Scheme.
Chief Minister announced opening of Ayurvedic Dispensary at Gumrang village of Keylong.
Dr. Ram Lal Markandey, Local MLA thanked the Chief Minister for his visit to the district. He said that Rs. four crore had been spent to provide sprinkler facility to the farmers of Lahaul and Spiti area, besides power tillers had also been provided to 352 farmers in the district. Pushpa Devi, Vice-President District BJP also spoke on the occasion and detailed out various schemes launched by the State Government for the welfare of people. Ajay Bodh, General Secretary, District BJP welcomed the Chief Minister. Shamsher Singh, Shyam Nalwa, TAC Members, S.S. Guleria, Deputy Commissioner, Shri Sunil Kumar, Superintendent of Police and other prominent persons were present on the occasion.
