Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 17 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday commenced his 10-day winter sojourn in Kangra district from Dharamshala. Due to inclement weather, his visit began a day late, and he reached Dharamshala at around 12:45 pm by helicopter from Shimla. During his sojourn, which will last until January 25, the Chief Minister will dedicate various development projects around Rs 675 crore for Kangra district.
On the first day, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for five projects worth Rs 19.55 crore for the Dharamshala Assembly constituency. He inaugurated a 750 KW solar power plant on-grid built at a cost of Rs 4.74 crore in Kand Uparli, a new women's police station building constructed for Rs 4.83 crore, Zila Parishad building built with a cost of Rs 3.16 crore and a newly constructed hostel of the Regional Mountaineering Centre worth Rs 3.42 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for the Dhauladhar food street market, which will be built at a cost of Rs 3.40 crore.
Interacting with the media at Dharamshala, the Chief Minister stated that the development of Kangra district was a priority for the government, and such visits to the region were essential to accelerate the pace of development. By visiting various areas, the government gains insights into people's problems and works towards finding their solutions.
He said that during this visit, the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art milk processing unit worth approximately Rs 250 crore will be laid at Dhangwar, which will boost the rural economy. Strengthening the rural economy was a key focus of the state government, and continuous steps were being taken in this direction.
The Chief Minister said that the government was procuring cow's milk at Rs 45 per litre and buffalo's milk at Rs 55 per litre. Additionally, maize grown using natural farming techniques was being purchased at Rs 30 per kilogram, and wheat at Rs 40 per kilogram. This year, the state government has procured 4,000 metric tons of natural maize, he added.
Sukhu said that the daily wage under MGNREGA had been historically increased by Rs 60, raising it from Rs 240 to Rs 300. He said that more measures would be taken in the future to further strengthen the rural economy.
Earlier, on his arrival at Dharamshala, the Congress workers and local residents warmly welcomed the Chief Minister. He also listened to the public grievances and gave necessary directions to the officers to resolve them on priority.
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma, Chairman, HPTDC R.S. Bali, Vice Chairman, State Planning Board Bhawani Singh Pathania, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLA Ashish Butail, Principal Advisor to CM (IT and innovations) Gokul Butail, Chairman, HP State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Sanjay Chauhan, Chairman, Kangra Co-operative Primary Agriculture & Rural Development Bank Ram Chander Pathania, Congress leader Devendra Jaggi, Mayor MC Dharamshala Neena Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa, SP Shalini Agnihotri and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.