Una, March 13:- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the foundation stone of the Turkal Panga drinking water scheme worth ?14.92 crore during his visit to the Kutlehar Assembly constituency in Una district. The project will benefit around 10,000 residents of Budhan, Chamyari, Dhungle, Lathiyani, and Tanoh gram panchayats. He also laid the foundation stone of the Samarthya Gyan Deep Library and Samarthya Gymnasium.
Addressing a public gathering, the Chief Minister announced the opening of a DSP office and a Sub-Judge court in Bangana. He also announced the establishment of Primary Health Centres in Rainsari and Lathiyani and provided ?25,000 each to the women’s groups present at the event. He said the state government is committed to providing clean drinking water to the people and will spend ?2,000 crore from the next financial year to purify water using modern technology.
Praising Kutlehar MLA Vivek Sharma, he said the legislator consistently works to resolve public issues in his constituency. He added that honesty and dedication to public service always earn the trust of people.
Responding to remarks made by the Punjab Finance Minister, Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh’s financial condition is better than Punjab’s. He stated that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab had promised to implement the Old Pension Scheme but has not yet fulfilled it, whereas the Indian National Congress government in Himachal approved OPS in its first cabinet meeting.
Referring to the natural disaster of 2023, he said the state government rehabilitated 23,000 affected families and safely evacuated 75,000 stranded tourists. Financial assistance for fully damaged houses was increased from ?1.5 lakh to ?7 lakh.
Criticizing the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government, he alleged that public money was misused to construct buildings that now remain vacant. He said the current government is continuously improving the education and healthcare sectors.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said projects worth about ?1,000 crore are underway to supply drinking water to every part of Una district. Work is also being carried out to upgrade facilities at the Chintpurni temple area.