'Sponsored' staff stirs not to be tolerated: Himachal CM

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, March 2

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said that the government was sympathetic towards the genuine demands of its employees but would not tolerate agitations and dharnas sponsored by those having a political agenda. He was replying to a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address in the Vidhan Sabha.

Thakur said that the government employees were welcome to raise their grievances through talks but acting as “puppets” in the hands of political leaders would not be tolerated.

A total of 41 members, including 20 from BJP, 19 from Congress, one CPM and one Independent participated in the debate. The House spent 15 hours and 30 minutes in the debate on the Governor’s Address.

The Congress staged a walkout even before the Chief Minister completed his reply by terming the Budget as a “bundle of lies.” CLP Leader Mukesh Agnihotri said that the government had failed to fulfil 75 per cent of the Budget announcements and now it was making false claims of development.

“The Governor merely performs a constitutional obligation by reading his Address, which is basically the achievements of the government. You do not even have the courtesy to listen to him respectfully as it has become your habit to stage a walkout without any justification,” said Thakur. He added winning and losing elections was part of the game but governments were remembered for innovative welfare schemes.

“The only agenda of our government from Day one has been the all round development of the state without even slightest of political vendetta. I can claim that my government has put an end to ‘politics of vendetta’, which had become a norm in the state in the past,” said Thakur. He added though Covid had severly hit the economy, the pace of development had remained unaffected.

“The Congress accuses the government of pushing the state on the brink of bankruptcy but I would like to remind it that during its five-year rule till 2017, the debt burden touched Rs 48,000 crore and the loans raised were to the tune of Rs 28,707 crore, a 67 per cent rise in loans,” he said.

Thakur said that the debt liability now stood at Rs 63,200crore while loans had risen by 32 per cent though the economy was severelyhit due to Covid.

He said that efforts were being made to create employment by holding Global Investors’ Meet. A groundbreaking ceremony of projects worth Rs 28,000 crore was held on December 27 last year. “Our government has tried to help the poor and downtrodden by enhancing pension, starting welfare schemes for women and girl child, Himcare and Sahara schemes in the Health sector, providing 3.25 LPG connections and holding Jan Manch to redress grievances on the spot,” he said.

Thakur said that every possible effort had been made to check illegal mining and illicit liquor trade and strictest action had been taken in the cases of Mandi hooch tragedy and the Una illegal firecracker factory blast.

108 evacuated from Ukraine: Thakur

• As many as 108 persons, including students, belonging to the state have been evacuated from war-torn Ukraine, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed the Assembly.
• No student from Himachal was stranded in Ukraine’s capital Kiev though some were still stuck in Kharkiv.
• He had interacted with some of the students stranded in Ukraine and their parents through video calling. PTI