Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday presided over the 'Pragtisheel Himachal: Sthapna Ke 75 Varsh' celebrations to commemorate 75 years of existence of Himachal Pradesh.
CM Jai Ram Thakur while addressing a mammoth public meeting at the program in Jhandutta, Bilaspur stated that the State has not only grown by size in terms of area and population during the last 75 years but has also achieved quite a few distinctions in different fields.
The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh besides being a small and hilly State has emerged as a role model for even several big States. He said that since its inception in 1948, Himachal Pradesh created new milestones in almost every sphere of development and the credit for this goes to the dedication and hard work of people of this State working in different fields.
Jai Ram Thakur said, "The State, once a picture of poverty and hardships, has today emerged as one of the most progressive States of the country. Former Prime Minister late Atal Behari Vajpayee started Rs 60,000 crore PMGSY, which proved a boon to ensure rural connectivity to almost every village in the State. Although the State has made tremendous progress in all spheres, a lot more could have to be done. It was unfortunate that a few leaders gave more importance to getting power instead of development of the State."
Referring to the contribution of National BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda for the State, the Chief Minister said that it was due to the vision of the National BJP President that State today has one AIIMS, and other Medical colleges at Mandi, Bilaspur, Chamba, Sirmour and Hamirpur.
He further added that the present State Government despite the corona pandemic ensured that the pace of development goes at a steady pace and that adequate support provided by the Centre and the strong political will of the State Government proved a golden era in the development history of the State.
"Enhancement of Rs 50 on daily wages of the daily wagers was a record in itself. The honorarium of ASHA workers, Anganwari workers and other Para workers was enhanced considerably by the present State Government," he added.
Jai Ram Thakur said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has special love and affection towards the State and its people. "During the last four and a half years, the Prime Minister has visited the State seven times and these visits of the Prime Minister were not going well with the Congress leaders as they feared that these visits of the PM would drown their dreams of coming to power in the coming Vidhan Sabha elections."
The Chief Minister said that schemes such as HIMCARE, Sahara Yojna, Shagun Yojna, Grihini Suvidha Yojna, and Mukhya Mantri Swabalamban Yojna have provided much-needed relief to lakhs of people of the State. "Now the opposition leaders were saying that they would discontinue these schemes once they come to power," he added.
The Chief Minister also flagged off a fire tender vehicle for the Jhandutta constituency on this occasion. A theme song on 75 years of existence of Himachal Pradesh and a documentary highlighting 75 years of the glorious history of Himachal Pradesh produced by the Information and Public Relations Department were also screened.
MLA Jhandutta Jeet Ram Katwal, while welcoming the Chief Minister in his constituency, said, "The State, as well as Bilaspur district, has made tremendous progress during these 75 years as the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has ensured that Himachal Pradesh forges ahead on the path of progress and prosperity."
He also detailed a few developmental projects being implemented in his constituency during the last four and a half years and said that the benevolence of PM Narendra Modi, National BJP President JP Nadda and Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur also ensured that the State in general and Jhandutta Vidhan Sabha area and Bilaspur district in particular forges ahead on the path of progress and prosperity.
MLA Sadar Subhash Thakur, District BJP President Swatantra Sankhyan, Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Trilok Jamwal, State Coordinator Kaushal Vikas Nigam Naveen Sharma, Chairperson Zila Parishad Muskan, Chairman HP Board of School Education Suresh Soni, Deputy Commissioner Bilaspur Pankaj Rai were present on the occasion among others.