Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a press conference held in Shimla today, announced to provide Rs 1500 monthly to the women of the state above 18 years of age under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Samman Nidhi Scheme. He said that by implementing this scheme the state government has fulfilled its fifth election guarantee. He said that the state government is committed to the welfare of every section of the society and many innovative initiatives and schemes are being implemented in this direction.
The Chief Minister said that the government had started the first phase of this scheme from February 1, 2024, under which Rs 1500 per month is being provided to the women of Lahaul-Spiti district and women above 60 years of age in the state. He said that there will be an annual expenditure of more than Rs 800 crore under this scheme and about five lakh women will be benefited. Under Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Samman Nidhi Yojana, the government will soon start the process of filling the form so that they can avail the benefits of this scheme soon.
The Chief Minister said that the state government fulfilled its first election guarantee by giving OPS benefits to 1.36 lakh government employees as soon as it assumed power. This has ensured a respectable life for government employees after retirement. The state government has launched Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme of Rs 680 crore with the aim of providing self-employment opportunities to the unemployed and encouraging entrepreneurship. Along with fulfilling the guarantee of introducing English medium from class I in all government schools, the government has also made a historic increase in the minimum support price of cow and buffalo milk across the country and minimum support price of wheat and maize to promote natural farming.
Support price has been implemented. The Chief Minister said that the state government faced various challenges arising due to the disaster with determination and is continuously making efforts to strengthen the economic condition of the state. He said that the government has taken several concrete steps to strengthen the rural economy besides strengthening the infrastructure in education, health and all other sectors. The government is making continuous efforts to generate additional resources of income and to create means of employment and self-employment for the youth.
