Centre ‘discriminated against HP’, denied special assistance

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today hit out at the Central government for allegedly meting out a step-motherly treatment to Himachal by excluding it from the list of beneficiaries of the Rs 3,296 crore Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme

“In a federal structure, having this kind of a discriminatory approach towards Himachal is very wrong and the people of the state will not forgive the BJP for it,” Sukhu wrote on X. He lamented that the Central government had provided Rs 3,296 crore to 23 states under the scheme but deprived Himachal of the assistance.

He said, “This clearly shows that the Centre is trying to create hurdles in the development of Himachal.” The issue has become a topic for political debate after a letter of the Department of Expenditure in the Union Finance Ministry went viral on social media.

“There is a big difference in the claims of the Central Government and the ground reality. The step-motherly treatment being meted out to Himachal is more than obvious. What is most surprising is that the BJP MPs are sharing the list of the beneficiary states as if they have made a big achievement. At times, I wonder whether they represent the people of Himachal or not.” he said in his X post.

Sukhu also criticised the Centre for remaining a mute spectator when the rain disaster devastated the state last year. “Despite adverse and challenging circumstances, we have achieved new heights in the tourism sector,” he claimed.

As per the letter of the Union Finance Ministry issued on November 26, the allocation for the 23 sates was made on the basis of a letter from the Ministry of Tourism on the state-wise list of 40 projects under Part-III of the Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale for 2024-25.

The Centre has given Rs 100 crore to Uttarakhand for setting up a rafting base station at Rishikesh, Punjab has received Rs 53.45 crore for the development of a heritage street in SBS Nagar. While the Centre has allocated Rs 99.17 crore for an eco-tourism and cultural hub at Roerich and Devika Rani estate at Tatagung in Bengalaru, it gave nothing to Himachal, which also has the Roerich Trust at Naggar in Kullu.

Punjab got Rs 53 cr for heritage street

The Central Government has given Rs 100 crore to Uttarakhand for the development of a rafting base station at Rishikesh while Punjab has received Rs 53.45 crore for the development of a heritage street in SBS Nagar