Shimla : Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today announced opening of Himachal Pradesh’s first Science College in Hamirpur at an estimated cost of Rs.100 crore. He said 80 kanals of land had already been identified for the college and Rs. 20 crore had been released for the project.
The Chief Minister also announced the opening of an Allied and Healthcare College in Hamirpur. In addition, he said an AIIMS-level Ayurvedic institute would be established in the district on 74 acres of land. He was presiding over the annual prize distribution function at government college, Hamirpur, where he felicitated students who excelled in various fields.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said Kangra had been accorded the status of the ‘Tourism Capital of the State’, while Hamirpur was the ‘Education Capital’ of Himachal Pradesh. He said the students from Hamirpur were bringing laurels to the State across the country. Providing quality education to students was one of the top priorities of the state government and the government was working towards this objective through systemic reforms.
Sukhu said that during the previous BJP government in 2021, when the State had a “double-engine government”, Himachal Pradesh ranked 21st in terms of quality education. Following reforms undertaken by the present Congress government, the State had now improved its ranking to fifth place. “Governments come and go, but children studying in villages must receive quality education,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that the State Government had opened over 156 CBSE schools to provide quality education closer to rural communities. Following the opening of these schools, student enrolment had increased by 24,000, while Rs. 80 crore had been released for their functioning and infrastructure. He said new courses were being introduced for students and more than 1,000 youths had been provided jobs on compassionate grounds.
The Chief Minister said the State Government was working on a plan to address the shortage of teachers in higher education. At the same time, rationalisation of colleges was also necessary to ensure optimum utilisation of available resources. He said the government was making continuous efforts to provide employment opportunities to youth in the government sector, with recruitment examinations being conducted through the State Selection Commission and the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission.
The Chief Minister claimed that not a single recruitment examination paper had been leaked during the tenure of the present government. He alleged that question paper leaks had taken place during the previous BJP government, including in the police recruitment process, while large-scale irregularities had also occurred in examinations conducted through the Staff Selection Commission. The Commission was closed after the Congress government assumed office and those involved in recruitment paper leaks were sent behind bars. To ensure transparency and merit-based recruitment, the government had done away with the compulsory interview system for several recruitments and introduced merit-based selection, he said.
He added that recruitment through the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission was now based on written examination marks as well as interview marks, whereas earlier greater emphasis was placed on interviews.
Sh. Sukhu said that after education, the health sector was another major priority of the state government. Diagnostic facilities were being strengthened so that diseases could be detected at an early stage. The robotic surgery had been introduced in the state at a cost of Rs. 30,000 to patients, with the state government providing a subsidy of Rs. 90,000. In addition, 3-Tesla MRI machines were being installed in medical colleges to facilitate more accurate diagnosis of diseases. The government was also promoting natural farming to strengthen the rural economy, the Chief Minister said.
He said leaders of several student organisations had met him and assured that the state government would sympathetically consider their demands. Recalling his own student days, the Chief Minister said his political journey had also begun with the NSUI and that he was now serving the people as the Chief Minister. He said entering politics had always been his goal. Urging students to move forward with confidence and determination, he said success could not be achieved every time, but failures should be treated as opportunities to learn and find a path towards success.
The Chief Minister said that the present State Government rejected the earlier agreement on the 422 MW Kishau multipurpose project agreed by the previous BJP Government, under which Himachal Pradesh would have had to bear a significant share of the power generation cost. He said it was due to his firm stand on this project that Himachal Pradesh would now receive around Rs. 600 crore as annual revenue without making any financial investment in this project. He said that Himachal Pradesh would move forward with the Kishau multipurpose project only after neighbouring States file affidavits regarding paying its share of the BBMB arrears to Himachal Pradesh before the Supreme Court in the next hearing.
Political Advisor to the Chief Minister, Sunil Sharma Bittu said the Chief Minister’s efforts had led to the launch of a new initiative to establish CBSE schools in the State. He said robotic surgery had also been introduced in Himachal Pradesh and historic work had been undertaken in the education and health sectors. He also condemned the alleged lathi-charge on NEET candidates and said the Congress Party would always stand with students.
