SHIMLA, 23.01.25-MLA Sanjay Awasthy in a press statement here today said that the BJP leaders were fabricating false statements to tarnish the image of the present Congress Government just to garner headlines. It has become a daily routine for them to level baseless allegations against our state government. The people of Himachal Pradesh were well aware of this habit and will not be misled by such tactics.
He said that the BJP leaders were clearly perturbed by the remarkable achievements of Congress government during past two years and were intimidated by the progress and fear defeat in the upcoming 2027 elections.
He said that today, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art milk processing plant in Dhagwar in Kangra district. This plant, with a capacity of 1.50 lakh liters per day, would benefit over 35,000 milk producers across five districts and bolster the rural economy besides generating self-employment opportunities for our youth.
Our government was committed for the overall development of the state and ensuring equitable development across all sections and regions of our society. We have implemented numerous schemes to strengthen the rural economy, with a special emphasis on quality education. The establishment of Rajiv Gandhi Adarsh Day-Boarding Schools in every assembly constituency and the introduction of a cluster system in schools are testaments to our dedication to strengthen education sector. Furthermore, our government has launched the Dr. Y.S. Parmar Student Loan Scheme, offering loans of up to Rs. 20 lakhs at a mere one percent rate of interest for education within India and abroad.
Sh. Awasthy said that under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Himachal has become the first state in India to implement Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, significantly increasing the support price for cow and buffalo milk. Our government has also set a precedent by providing the highest support price for wheat and maize produced through natural farming. The present congress government has fulfilled long-standing demands of orchardists by paying their dues amounting to Rs. 153 crore and increased the minimum support price for apple, mango and citrus fruits. To further augment development agenda, the government has launched six new schemes on 11 December, 2024, which include the purchase of Himbhog-Him Makki Atta and a guarantee to purchase up to 20 quintals of grain from every family engaged in natural farming. These initiatives have substantially increased income of the agriculture sector and benefitted 1,506 farmers by transferring Rs. 1.20 crore directly to their accounts.
Additionally the government has introduced a scheme to purchase organic manure and vermin-compost for which rupees one lakh has been distributed to 100 farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Besides, Rajiv Gandhi Swarojgar Start-up Yojana has been launched to fulfill our guarantee of providing self employment opportunities to the youth. It is evident that the BJP leaders were willfully ignoring the efforts Congress government but the track record reflects the unwavering commitment to development, inclusive welfare and transparency.