Eyeing at the forthcoming General election, Himachal Pradesh government is lunching ambitious Food Security Programme on 11th September 2013 at Shimla. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will lunch the programme.
Food and Civil Supplies minister G S Bali, who had just returned from Delhi after meeting the center ministries there, assured to implement Food Security programme fully in the state. Minister added that the state government, however, will continue providing selected food items to APL families and indicated to increase the rates marginally. He said that APL families would get sugar at bit costlier rate than the BPL’s one and the hike would also be in other food items but it would be nominal and is under consideration, Minister assured. GS Bali said that the Centre had agreed in principle to provide Rs 400 crore to meet the cost and it has also sanctioned Rs 19 crore projects to upgrade civil supplies in the state.
The minister, who also holds the transport portfolio, revealed that the Centre has agreed to contribute the balance cost of any project undertaken by the state government to improve road connectivity in rural areas. He added that the Himachal Pradesh has been added in the group of two other states among Rajasthan and Assam for the rural connectivity project of the center government. Terming it as a achievement, Bali said that under the rural connectivity program, now, the state could run as much buses needed to provide the connectivity for the rural areas as we would be gap funded by the center government.
GS Bali revealed that the Union Transport Minister has agreed to set up a drivers’ training school, which will cost Rs 14 crore, for the lower and merged areas of the state. He also revealed that the Centre has also agreed to provide funds for National Highway 20-A from Nagrota Bagwan to Mubarkpur.
