In a significant move to provide relief to disaster-affected families in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited to ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive free LPG connections and essential ration. This announcement was made during the 173rd meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, held on a Saturday evening.
Under this new scheme, eligible beneficiaries have already started receiving much-needed assistance. Chief Minister Sukhu emphasized the importance of effective implementation and urged Food and Civil Supplies officers to monitor the distribution closely to ensure that those affected by disasters receive their rightful support.
The initiative includes the provision of a comprehensive LPG kit to disaster-affected families, covering all associated expenses, including the cost of LPG domestic refills and the essential Blue books. This move aims to ease the burden on these families and provide them with a clean cooking solution.
Moreover, to address the nutritional needs of affected families, the state government is also offering free ration packages. These packages comprise 20kg of wheat atta, 15kg of rice, three kilograms of pulses, one litre of mustard oil, one litre of soya refined oil, one kilogram of double fortified salt, and two kilograms of sugar. This support will be extended until March 31, 2024, to ensure that affected families have access to nutritious food during their recovery period.
Chief Minister Sukhu praised the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited for its outstanding performance, highlighting its impressive business of Rs. 1955 crore in the 2022-23 fiscal year, with a net profit of Rs. 87 lakh. He expressed his desire to transform the Corporation into a fully digitalized, commercial, and professional entity.
In addition, Chief Minister Sukhu emphasized the importance of quality and affordability for consumers. He suggested that the Corporation should enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading companies like Godrej and Bajaj to procure fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, ensuring that consumers can access high-quality products at the most competitive rates.
As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare facilities, Chief Minister Sukhu announced plans to open 52 new Fair Price Medicine Shops in various government health institutions across the state. These shops will provide patients with access to medicines and surgical equipment at reasonable prices, further improving healthcare accessibility in Himachal Pradesh.
