Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 22 : Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today performed the inaugurations and laid foundation stones of 14 development projects worth Rs. 76.41 crore in the Sulah Assembly Constituency of Kangra district during his one-day tour to the area. He also inaugurated the newly upgraded Tehsil of Sulah on the occasion.
The Chief Minister inaugurated double lane bridge across Moal khad on the Hamirpur-Sujanpur-Thural-Maranda road, constructed at a cost of Rs. 12.57 crore, and a bridge over Moal khad on the Malag-Malaha link road, built with an outlay of Rs. 3.57 crore.
He also inaugurate combined office building at Dheera, completed with an outlay of Rs. 10.82 crore, and dedicated Rs.5.02 crore Community Health Centre building at Dheera to the people. Besides, the Chief Minister also dedicate Health Sub Centre building at Kharul, completed with an outlay of Rs. 16 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh Health Sub Centre building at Bhoda.
Apart from this, he inaugurated the Rs. 25 lakh Health Sub Centre building at Kona, the Rs. 89 lakh Veterinary Hospital building at Sulah, and the Rs. 49 lakh Veterinary Dispensary building at Moondhi.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated Rs. 50 lakh additional accommodation of Government High School, Bhattu Samula, Rs. 5.45 crore improvement of distribution system of WSS Jharet Rajhoon and WSS Prour Kharot in the tehsil Palampur.
The Chief Minister dedicated the Rs. 31.69 crore Parour and other multi-village group piped water supply scheme for parts of Bhawarna and Bhedu Mahadev Block, and Ghaloon (Malnoon) under the Sulah constituency.
He also laid foundation stones of a Rs. 2.87 crore bridge over Moul khad on Gallu Bhoda to Shivnagar road and Rs. 2 crore for an additional complex of Chaudhary Tara Chand Government Senior Secondary School, Gaggal, tehsil Dheera.
CM Sukhu, during his visit to the Sulah Assembly constituency in Kangra district today, declared that all eligible women of the Sulah constituency would be provided financial assistance of Rs. 1,500 under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samaan Nidhi Yojna. He also announced a series of welfare, development and employment initiatives aimed at strengthening social security, infrastructure and public services in the region. He also announced the opening of a Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) division in Sulah and the up-gradation of Bhawarna town into a Nagar Panchayat.
Addressing a large public meeting, the Chief Minister said that the state government was making continuous and sincere efforts for the overall development of Kangra district. He informed that the expansion of Kangra Airport was underway and that affected people were being given fair compensation for their land. He said the airport expansion would bring economic prosperity to the region, boost tourism and generate employment opportunities at the local level, ensuring that youth would not be compelled to migrate to metropolitan cities like Delhi or Chandigarh even for small jobs.
Emphasising the government's commitment to employment generation, the Chief Minister said that large-scale recruitment was being undertaken in the public sector, particularly in the police department. He announced that the state government would soon recruit 800 police constables to strengthen the law enforcement machinery. He said special consideration would be given to youth who had returned home after serving under the Agniveer scheme introduced by the Union Government. These youth would be absorbed into the Himachal Pradesh Police and provided stable employment up to the age of 58, along with the benefits of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
The Chief Minister said that the Agniveer scheme, which limits service tenure to four years, had reduced the interest of many young people in Himachal Pradesh in joining the Army. The state government, therefore, decided to ensure long-term job security for such trained youth by providing them an opportunity to serve in the state police. "We do not believe in policies that end the future of youth after four years. Our government is committed to providing secure employment and social protection," he said.