STATE TIMES NEWS
DHARAMSHALA: Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that BJP restored the image of Himachal Pradesh as a corruption free Himalayan State.
Addressing a series of election meetings in different parts of the State, Dr Jitendra said, the pristine image of the Devbhoomi was compromised by the erstwhile Congress Government through a series of scams and scandals.
Dr Singh charged that even apple growers were given a raw deal by the previous Congress government and the Himachali Seb (Apple), instead of being a Himachal identity across the country, became a subject of scam and scandals.
Dr Jitendra said that people of this hill state had not forgotten the ill-deeds of ex-Chief Minister Veerbhadra Singh, who faced an IT probe of disproportionate assets case over the dubious income shown by him. The I-T probe in 2015 found that the sale of apples from Singh’s Shrikhand orchard in Shimla district could not have fetched him more than Rs 64 lakh as against Rs 1.55 crore he showed in 2011.
Dr Singh said, under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, the Jairam Government in Himachal Pradesh not only ensured proper implementation of the Modi Govt schemes, but also lived upto the “Double Engine” principle by supplementing most of the Central schemes with State initiated schemes.
He asserted that development becomes reality with double engine governments, as this ensures fast approvals for projects and their fast implementation and progress.
The Minister said, that the UPA government from 2004-2014 neglected the developmental aspirations of people of Devbhoomi and particularly the youth, with no major infra project approved for the state.
Referring to the launch of series of projects related to pharmaceuticals, education and railways by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two weeks ago, Dr Jitendra said, the flagging off high-speed luxury Vande Bharat Express and laying the foundation stones of Bulk Drug Park will attract investment of around Rs 10,000 crore and provide employment to more than 20,000 people from Una town. PM Modi also dedicated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una to the nation for the benefit of the students.
Dr Singh also pointed out that the Bulk Drug Park at Haroli, which will be built at a cost of more than Rs 1,900 crore, will help reduce dependence on API imports. He said, the Bulk Drug Park which can bring an investment of around Rs 15-20,000 crore will give employment to over 30,000 people in the state.
Dr Jitendra felt elated that the Modi Government also gave the precious gift of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bilaspur in first week of October, 2022. Constructed at a cost of about ?1,470 crore, AIIMS will not only strengthen health services but will provide thousands of jobs related to the medical profession and entrepreneurship.