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16% of Himachal budget kept for education: Minister
Himachal education minister Govind Singh Thakur said they will also conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities found at Indian Institute of Information Technology in Saloh of Una district
Sixteen percent of the Himachal Pradesh budget has been earmarked for education, state’s education minister Govind Singh Thakur told the assembly on Friday.
Replying to a cut motion on education, he said ₹8,412 crore of the ₹51,365-crore budget for 2022-23 has been kept for education.
He said the education department will also conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities found at Indian Institute of Information Technology in Saloh of Una district. Govind said the government will inquire why despite having its own campus, the institute rented accommodation and appointed people from outside the state.
He also claimed that the number of students in government schools was increasing due to the starting of pre-primary classes in 4,487 institutes. The Opposition members did not withdraw their respective cut motions, on which the House rejected these cut motions by voice vote.
The minister said that HP government, during the present academic year, will give smartphones instead of laptops to meritorious children. He said the government would seriously consider the issue of cancellation of the expulsion of three students from HPU for indiscipline.
Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri had sought a high-level probe into the IIIT issue while participating in the discussion on a cut motion, while Congress legislator from Shillai Harshwardhan Chauhan had alleged irregularities in the appointments made in HPU.
Congress member Asha Kumari said students faced hardships during the lockdown as many of them lacked mobile phones.
Himachal to be developed into fruit state
The government is making efforts to transform Himachal into a fruit state instead of an apple state, said horticulture minister in his reply to question raised by Jubbal and Kotkhai legislator Rohit Thakur and Indora MLA Rita Dhiman. “It is unfortunate that efforts were not made in these directions. A fruit processing plant was set up in Parwanoo in 1981. The state government has invited bids for the strengthening and modernisation of the plant and technical evaluation of the bids has already been carried out,” Mahender Singh Thakur said, adding that the government will set up an apple processing plant at Kotkhai to convert the crop procured from the belt into juice or concentrate.
Dhiman demanded the government to set up a fruit processing plant in Kandrori for the processing of mangoes and citrus fruits produced in the lower regions.
The minister said under the ADB-aided SHIVA project, fruit processing plants would be set up in lower Himachal.
Himachal government will make an amendment in the Animal Trespass Act, 1871, to make provision for imprisonment in law for abandoning cattle. The state government is making all efforts to ensure that all roads of the state are stray cattle free, animal husbandry minister Virender Kanwar said while replying to a question asked by Hamirpur MLA Narinder Thakur. He said that at present, 26 gausadans and cow sanctuaries are functional in Hamirpur, of which 23 gausadans are registered with Himachal Pradesh Gauseva Aayog.
A total of 2,226 abandoned cattle are being provided shelter in these facilities, he added.
Govt denies shortage of fertilisers
The state government on Friday denied acute shortage of fertilisers in HP, though it said NPK (12:32:16) was in short supply.
Replying to a question raised by Shillai MLA, agriculture minister Virender Kanwar said there was a short supply of NPK (12:32:16) because two major companies — Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited (GSFC) — have stopped production.
This shortage is being compensated by providing NPK (15:15:15) to the farmers which is available as per requirement, he added.
