SHIMLA-25^th November, 2024-Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu dedicated development projects worth Rs. 43.37 crore to the people of the Kasumpatti Assembly constituency here today.

He inaugurated the Zila Parishad Bhawan at Chalonthi, built at a cost of Rs. 20.26 crore. He also inaugurated the new building of Government College Koti, constructed at a cost of Rs. 21.36 crore and the newly constructed science block at Government Senior Secondary School Koti completed with an outlay of Rs. 1.75 crore.

He also announced 10 additional beds and more staff for Koti Community Health Centre (CHC) at Koti and assured that an ambulance would be made available at CHC to cater to the emergency needs. Along with the opening of a police post in Koti, the Chief Minister announced Rs. 50 lakh each for the improvement of the Koti-Padechi and Koti-Mundadhar roads. He also announced that a new Patwar Circle for Satlai. He also announced Bus service from Peeran to Shimla via Kufri. He expressed pride in the development of a modern campus at Koti which has been made possible through the efforts of Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh. He further revealed that the state government plans to make Koti the first college in Himachal Pradesh to offer B.Ed. classes, starting from the next academic session. Besides the government mulls to introduce B.Ed. and ITI courses in other colleges of the state.

The Chief Minister said that due to the negligence in the education sector and lavish spending of the previous government, the standard of education had declined. He assured that the present state government was continuously working to reverse the trends and establishing of 800 'Schools of Excellence' besides opening Rajiv Gandhi Day-boarding Schools across the state. He said that along with educational reforms, the government was also strengthening public health facilities throughout the state and particularly at IGMC Shimla.

While launching a scathing attack on the BJP Government, Sh. Sukhu said that the opposition leaders were flaring up the petty issues on social media platforms thus trying to defame the government nationwide. He responded firmly to personal attacks by the opposition, stating that he would not be intimidated and would continue to take decisions in the best interest of the people of the state and to strengthen the derailed economy, which would hardly affect 70 percent of the population of the State. He said that the present state government inherited empty coffers from the previous Government. They opened 900 institutions during the last six months before the elections and do not talk of the development strides of the present government and make irrelevant statements which show their frustration following the victory of the present government in recent by-elections.

Citing the initiatives of his government, the Chief Minister said that we increased the wages for MNREGA workers, from Rs. 240 to Rs. 300 and restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for 1.36 lakh employees in the first cabinet meeting. Apart from this that the price of cow and buffalo milk has been increased to Rs. 45 and Rs. 55, respectively. Wheat produced through natural farming was being procured at Rs. 40 per kg and maize at Rs. 30 per kg.

He said that these measures were not taken for any electoral gain but were designed to improve the lives of rural citizens. He said that the previous BJP government believed and favored wealthy and distributed freebies to their favorites but the present state government was much more focused on the welfare of the people.

He also mentioned the initiatives under the Sukh Aashray Yojana and the benefits being given to women under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Yojna.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh thanked the Chief Minister for dedicating the various development projects. He said that significant development projects were now underway in the constituency, including Rs. 40 crore being spent on roads.

Vice-Chairman, State Forest Corporation, Kehar Singh Kahchi, Chairman APMC Shimla, Devanand Verma, Zila Parishad Chairperson, Chander Prabha Negi, and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.