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Sukhu govt de-notifies newly opened electricity offices, BJP slams move
The new Congress government in HP has ordered a review of the decisions made by the BJP regime led by Jai Ram Thakur in the last eight months of his tenure, but has decided to continue the public welfare schemes started by the previous government
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday de-notified 32 newly opened electricity offices and a horticulture office, drawing sharp criticism and threat of legal proceedings from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The new Congress government has ordered a review of the decisions made by the BJP regime led by Jai Ram Thakur in the last eight months of his tenure, but has decided to continue the public welfare schemes started by the previous government.
Only those schemes announced in the last budget session and implemented after April will be reviewed, chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has said.
Jai Ram and other BJP leaders have slammed the current government for ‘reversing’ the decisions made under the previous regime.
Sukhu has given the instructions to continue the welfare schemes of the health department, including Sahara and HimCare. Under Sahara, the Himachal government provides financial assistance to chronically ill patients, while HimCare is the state version of Centre-run Ayushman Bharat.
The new chief minister wants an open policy in the matter of hydro, solar and tourism projects. The investors will have to fulfil the condition of 80% employment to locals while all the necessary clearances will be given at the deputy commissioner’s level.
The hydro-power sector in the state is under stress and initiatives taken by the previous government have yielded little results. The open policy, the new government feels, could be of a great help to revive the sector.
The new government also intends to promote green energy for which chief minister Sukhu has directed to roll out a new electric vehicle policy in the state.
A target has been set to replace the fossil fuel-run vehicles with electric ones in the government departments within next three years.
The government is also planning to change the solar fencing scheme started by the previous government.
Sukhu, in a meeting with horticulture officers before his New Delhi sojourn, had said that the existing scheme seemed to be aimed at “benefiting the contractors” and there was a need to bring sweeping changes in this scheme.
HPSHIVA project office shut, extension of Virbhadra’s key man cancelled
After changing the agency for social impact survey of Mandi international airport, the state government has now shut the office of HPSHIVA project opened at Dharampur in Mandi district.
It has also cancelled the reappointment of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Padam Dass Thakur, who was the personal security officer of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh for long. He was given re-employment by the previous government in a notification dated September 1, 2022.
The first office of HPSHIVA project, aimed to connect maximum number of unemployed youth and women with horticulture, was set up in Siddhpur of Dharampur, the constituency of former horticulture minister Mahender Singh Thakur. The entire staff have now been ordered to join their duties at Shimla.
A decision will soon be made regarding the deployment of officers and employees posted at the de-notified electricity offices. Report of these divisions and circles has been sought from the chief engineer of the department.
Will move court: BJP
Jai Ram said that decision of the state government to shut all the institutions one by one shows its complete dictatorial behaviour. This attitude of Sukhu government is quite sad, he added.
“The BJP opposes all these decisions and will continue to do so. We will also go to court against it if needed be,” Jai Ram said.
He said the state government was working with a sense of revenge and doing politics on all public interest decisions made by his government.
BJP’s state president Suresh Kashyap said that Sukhu was following vendetta politics and reversing the decisions they had made in public interest.
Committed to fulfilling 10 guarantees made by Cong: CM
Chief minister Sukhu, meanwhile, on Tuesday said the state government was committed to fulfilling all 10 guarantees made by the Congress, including the old pension scheme, and would leave no stone unturned to live up to the expectations and aspirations of the people.
In a statement issued from New Delhi, Sukhu said he was quarantined after testing positive for Covid and would return to work at the earliest after end of the protocol.
“The government has decided that the long-pending demand of employees regarding OPS would be fulfilled in the very first cabinet meeting as promised in the Congress’ Pratigya Patra 2022,” he said.
The chief minister said that greater focus would be laid on strengthening the agrarian economy of Himachal by providing incentives to the farming community.
He said that stress would be laid on providing enhanced technological know-how to the farmers and a special start-up fund would be created to assist young entrepreneurs.
