The Himachal Pradesh Government is committed to making the state the most prosperous in the country by 2032, stated Vinay Kumar, Deputy Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. He was addressing a gathering on the occasion of Himachal Day at the Chief Minister’s Model Government Senior Secondary School (Boys), Bilaspur.
He said that the government was working with three major goals: making Himachal a green energy state by 2026, a self-reliant state by 2027 and the most prosperous state by 2032. Six out of the ten pre-election guarantees have already been fulfilled, while work on the remaining is progressing swiftly.
Highlighting welfare measures, Kumar said that a Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been extended to rural produce, and milk societies has been incentivised. Women are receiving a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,500, while daily and MGNREGA wages have been increased. Under the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Aashray Yojana, 6,000 orphaned children have been adopted and are receiving holistic care.
He also emphasised the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, which benefits over 1.36 lakh government employees. In the last two years, 42,000 youth have received government jobs and the target for this year is an additional 25,000. Modern medical infrastructure worth Rs 1,730 crore is being developed in government hospitals and colleges. English-medium education has been introduced and Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding Schools are being set up across the state.
Kumar noted that Bilaspur is being developed as a new tourism destination. Activities such as cruising, shikara rides, house boating, parasailing and jet skiing have been introduced at Gobind Sagar Lake and Kol Dam. Infrastructure projects include a City Livelihood Centre built at a cost of Rs 4 crore and a Model Career Centre at Rs 2.5 crore.
Social security pensions worth Rs 86 crore have been distributed to 49,000 pensioners, while over Rs 52 crore was spent under MGNREGA. Additionally, Rs 20 crore were utilised under various housing schemes, and 58 km of new roads were built. The Jal Shakti Department is executing 37 new projects worth Rs 500 crore, of which 15 have been completed.
Earlier, Vinay Kumar paid floral tributes at the Shaheed Memorial and hoisted the national flag. He also honoured freedom fighter Sahaj Ram, families of other freedom fighters and Prem Devi, president of the Freedom Fighter Organisation. A colourful cultural programme featuring school students and local artists added vibrancy to the event.
