category Regional,Shimla, dharamshala, , tags Regional,Shimla, dharamshala, , DW BUREAU Dharamshala Shimla Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that acute financial crunch and monsoon disaster came as a major hurdle in fulfilling the poll guarantees but still the Congress government implemented three major promises. Addressing a rally at Dharamshala Police Ground to mark one year of his government, Sukhu lashed out at the BJP for alleging that the government failed to implement the poll guarantees and said that three main guarantees, including restoration of old pension scheme, introducing English in the government schools and Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi start-up scheme have been implemented, despite acute financial crunch. He added that three more guarantees would be fulfilled next year. The BJP on Monday hit out at the Congress government for celebrating one year in office and held Aakrosh rallies across the state. Addressing his party workers and leaders at Central Telegraph Office in Shimla, State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Rajiv Bindal asked what is there to celebrate when there is no achievement of the government except for closing over 1,500 institutions. Bindal said that over 500 persons have died and thousands have become homeless during the monsoon disaster that wreaked havoc in July and August. Sukhu further said the government has initiated the process to give Rs 1,500 per month to the women in the 18 to 60 years age bracket but natural disaster put spokes. I am now declaring that the women in Lahaul and Spiti district would get Rs 1,500 per month and 2.37 lakh women in the state drawing Rs 1,100 pension per month would get Rs 1,500 from the next year, he added. The chief minister had earlier on Himachal Day, which is observed on April 15, announced to provide Rs 1,500 to all the 9,000 women of Spiti above 18 years of age from June 2023. Taking potshots at the Centre and state BJP leaders for not giving adequate relief to the state during the worst ever natural disaster, Sukhu said that neither our demand to declare the calamity in the state as National Disaster was fulfilled nor were we given a special relief package of Rs 12,000 crore. The chief minister said that a plan has been chalked out to purchase cow dung at Rs 2 per kilo and procurement price of milk would be increased from Rs 31 to Rs 37 per litre from January next year and 20,000 jobs would be given in one year. He said that every Himachali is today under a debt of Rs 1.02 lakh due to the previous BJP government s financial mismanagement. Sukhu added that his government would keep the foundation of self-sufficient Himachal Pradesh and also bring changes in the system. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the BJP leaders have become blind and cannot see development in the state. The government is stable and lasting which would complete its five-year term and no conspiracy to destabilise the government would succeed, he added. Congress MP and party s Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla lambasted the ruling BJP at the Centre for discrimination with the state. Why discrimination with Himachal, which the prime minister claimed to be his second home...The Union government has not even given Rs 12 let go of Rs 12,000 crore special package as sought by the state government, said Shukla. Where was the PM when the people at his home (HP) were facing disaster he asked taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that he would only be spotted during the elections. Himachal Pradesh Congress chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh on her part said that after implementing the old pension scheme, the state government was moving towards providing Rs 1,500 to the women per month but the monsoon disaster struck and life went haywire in the state. (editor dailyworld.in)