The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, on Wednesday, organised an event to mark the completion of its two years at Luhnu Ground In Silaspur in the state.

On the occasion, freedom fighters Bhag Singh, Sahaj Ram, and Premi Devi wife of Narottam Shastri, were honoured in recognition of their invaluable contributions to the nation.

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu unveiled the Vikas Sankalan, a comprehensive publication by the Information and Public Relations Department highlighting the achievements and initiatives undertaken by the government over the past two years.

While presiding over the event, the Chief Minister said, “Our government is celebrating two years of development and progress. We are committed to the overall and equitable development in the state, following the principles laid down by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership.”

“We would not let the state’s wealth be misused and would ensure its equal distribution among all sections of society. This is Rahul Gandhi’s vision and our government was steadfastly working towards it,” he said.

“This is not just a celebration of two years, but a reaffirmation of our mission. Our true celebration would be in 2027 when Himachal Pradesh would become self-reliant,” he claimed.

Sukhu said the present state government implemented the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for 1.36 lakh employees, despite facing pressure from the central government.

“During last year’s monsoon season, Himachal Pradesh experienced an unprecedented disaster. However, the government successfully evacuated 75,000 tourists and provided a special relief package of Rs. 4,500 crore to the affected families,” he said.

“Our government has revised the disaster relief manual for affected families from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh and the central government was yet to release the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) fund to Himachal Pradesh,” he said.

Sukhu said that our government was focusing on strengthening the rural economy and enhancing the price of milk.

“The daily wage of MNREGA was increased by Rs. 60, taking it to Rs. 300. Apart from this the state government has purchased 4,000 quintals of maize grown through natural farming. Next year the government would buy wheat grown through natural farming at Rs. 40 per kilogram making the price of wheat and apples the same,” he said.

The upcoming budget of the present state government would prioritize strengthening the rural economy, he stated.

“BJP is divided into five factions with leaders focused on organizing their own rallies rather than addressing public concerns. BJP protests were nothing more than a “Save Your Chair” campaign and have little regard for the people and their issues,” he charged.

“Congress party has cleaned up its internal issues and regained its

strength of 40 MLAs. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur should worry

about retaining his seat as BJP’s numbers could fall from 28 to 20,

given that some BJP MLAs are reportedly in contact with Congress,”

claimed Sukhu.

He said that the state government had introduced significant changes in the education and health sectors which were neglected by the previous BJP government.

“Despite the Central government’s step-motherly treatment the state has managed to generate additional revenue of Rs. 2,200 crore. More public-interest decisions would be taken in the future aligning with plans to make Himachal a self-reliant state,” stated.