Himachal CM announces Rs 1,500/ month for women in Lahaul-Spiti from next month (original) (raw)

THE CONGRESS government in Himachal Pradesh will start giving Rs 1,500 every month to all the women above 18 years of age in Lahaul-Spiti district beginning January 1, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Monday said, adding that “this commitment, pledged to all women across the state, will be gradually fulfilled”.

“The Congress government had initiated the process to give Rs 1,500 per month to all the women in the age group 18 to 60 years, but natural disaster in form of floods and landslides created roadblocks. I am now declaring that the women in Lahaul and Spiti district would get Rs 1,500 per month from January 1, 2024. Further, 2.37 lakh women in the state drawing Rs 1,100 pension per month would get Rs 1,500 from the next year. The government will also support the higher education of widows’ children from the next fiscal year,” Sukhu announced.

The chief minister had earlier on Himachal Day, which is observed on April 15, announced to provide Rs 1,500 to all the 9,000 women of Spiti above 18 years of age from June 2023.

Addressing a rally at Dharamshala Police Ground to mark one year of his government, Sukhu also announced a Rs 6 per litre hike in the procurement price of milk — from Rs 31 to Rs 37 per litre — from January next year and said the government will also procure cow dung at Rs 2 per kilo. “The decisions are significant steps toward farmers’ prosperity,” Sukhu added.

Underlining his government’s focus on reforming the system, the senior Congress leader said his government aims to make Himachal self-reliant by 2027 and one of India’s most prosperous states by 2032. He also promised that 20,000 jobs would be given in one year.

“Three main guarantees, including restoration of old pension scheme, introducing English in the government schools, and Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi start-up scheme have been implemented. It has been done despite acute financial crunch and monsoon flood fury creating a major hurdle,” Sukhu said.

Taking potshots at the Centre and state BJP leaders for not giving adequate relief to the state during the worst ever natural disaster, Sukhu said that neither our demand to declare the calamity in the state as ‘National Disaster’ was fulfilled nor were we given a special relief package of Rs 12,000 crore.

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He highlighted the decision to dissolve the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to curb corruption and criticized the previous BJP government’s huge loan that burdened the current administration. He said that every Himachali is today under a debt of Rs 1.02 lakh due to the previous BJP government’s financial mismanagement.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the BJP leaders have become blind and cannot see development in the state. The government is stable and would complete its five-year term and no conspiracy to destabilise the government would succeed, he added.

Congress MP and party’s Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla lambasted the ruling BJP at the Centre for discrimination with the state. “Why discrimination with Himachal, which the prime minister claimed to be his second home…The Union government has not even given Rs 12 let go of Rs 12,000 crore special package as sought by the state government,” said Shukla.

“Where was the PM when the people at his home (HP) were facing disaster?” he asked taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that he would only be spotted during the elections.

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State Congress chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh praised Sukhu for taking steps towards providing Rs 1,500 to the women per month.

“We could not give pace to work in the past one year but keep faith in us that we would fulfil all the promises in the next four years and have started providing employment to the youth,” she added.

“I am upset that despite meeting PM Modi during the Parliament session and asking him to declare calamity in Himachal Pradesh as a national disaster on the pattern of Bhuj and Kedarnath disasters, he ignored my plea and did not even help us financially,” she added.

The posters and banners highlighting the Congress government’s achievements in the past one year adorned Dharamshala and the people clad in traditional costumes were seen dancing to the tunes of their folk music outside the venue.

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No member of the Gandhi family and the top Congress central leadership attended the rally.

The chief minister had claimed that Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi would be present on the occasion. Priyanka Gandhi, who had reached Shimla on Sunday morning, however, skipped the function.