Himachal CM gave big push to development: Nadda

Shimla, Jan 25 : BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Monday that the young team led by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has taken a big leap in the states development, which many leaders across party lines had in the past initiated to change the states landscape.

Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of Himachals Statehood Day here, Nadda, who belongs to the hill state, said the schemes initiated by the present government such as Grihini Suvidha Yojana provided free gas connections to those households that were not covered under the Centres Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

Praising Thakur in the presence of Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, Nadda said the states HIMCARE (Himachal Health Care Scheme) and the Sahara schemes have yielded great results and Himachal has emerged as the best state in overall performance in safe motherhood.He said HIMCARE has been started for cashless treatment of all families not covered under the Centres Ayushman Bharat Yojana, under which treatment facility of Rs 5 lakh is being provided.

The Sahara scheme provides a financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per month to the patients belonging to the economically weaker sections suffering from specific diseases such as Parkinsons, cancer etc.Nadda, a three-time legislator and two-time minister in the state, also said that when he was 11-year old, on this day in 1971 Himachal was conferred the status of a full state -- the 18th in the country."I was in Bilaspur (hometown) when I came to know at 1 p.m.from The Tribune newspaper that the state has been granted the status of a full state.At that time the newspaper arrived late in the afternoon," he said.

The BJP President said when he was first elected to the state legislative assembly in 1993 from Bilaspur, he used to travel from village to village in his constituency by foot.The state has progressed tremendously in the past 51 years and the credit goes to the people and the Chief Ministers of all political parties.

The successive BJP governments also played a pivotal role in the development of Himachal, said Nadda, who was re-elected in 1998 and 2007.The people would remain indebted to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for granting statehood status to Himachal, he added.

Remembering the states first Chief Minister, late Y.S.Parmar, Nadda said he played a significant role in initiating all possible measures to make the state "self-reliant"."When Parmar left the Chief Ministers office, he took a state transport bus and went to his village.

Such was the era of some leaders," he said.Nadda also said that simplicity and honesty are Himachals strengths."Do not consider them our weakness.

We are known for honesty and hard work.This is the identity of the people here.We have to preserve it," he said.

Nadda said the 13th Finance Commission during the Congress-led UPA regime gave Rs 4,000 crore for the development of Himachal Pradesh.In the 14th Finance Commission, the Narendra Modi-led government gave more than Rs 18,500 crore for development of the state, he said.

Earlier, Governor Bandaru Dattatreya unfurled the tricolour and took the salute from the marching contingents.