Agnihotri inaugurates SC Commission office in Una

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today inaugurated the office of the HP State Commission for Scheduled Castes at Rampur village near Una. The Commission, recently reconstituted by the state government, is chaired by former minister Kuldip Kumar from Una district.

Agnihotri said that the decision to establish a state-level office in Una reflected the government’s efforts to decentralise governance and spread administrative benefits beyond Shimla. “The government is committed to planned development across the state. Municipal Councils are being constituted in Una, Hamirpur and Baddi, while many gram panchayats are being upgraded to nagar panchayats and nagar panchayats to municipal committees to improve facilities for residents,” he said.

He also announced that the pending results of all examinations conducted by the State Staff Selection Commission would be declared within a month. “The state government is pro-youth. During the BJP regime, almost all examination papers for state jobs were leaked, undermining transparency,” he alleged.

Agnihotri, who also oversees the Art, Language and Culture Department, outlined plans for upgrading facilities at the Mata Chintpurni temple at a cost of Rs 300 crore. “Encroachments around the temple are being cleared to create an extended corridor with new public amenities and a ropeway for devotees is also in the pipeline,” he added.

He defended the HRTC against allegations that unfair charges were levied for carrying cookers and heaters. He emphasised that HRTC has been serving the state for 50 years, ferrying five lakh passengers daily. “We have released Rs 67.5 crore in pension dues for retirees and 1,000 new buses will soon be added to the corporation’s fleet,” he stated.