Himachal Pradesh: Public Works and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday urged all panchayats in Himachal Pradesh to develop their own sources of income and stressed the importance of financial self-reliance at the grassroots level. He was addressing a public meeting under the ‘Mantri Aapke Dwar’ programme at Ghandal village in Shimla district, where he was accompanied by Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh. On the occasion, the ministers jointly inaugurated the newly constructed state-of-the-art Panchayat Ghar at Ghandal. Vikramaditya said the Panchayat Ghar equipped with modern facilities will enable local bodies to increase their income by taking innovative decisions and implementing community-based initiatives.
Highlighting the past and present developments in the area, he said projects worth Rs 1,500 crore were executed in Shimla (rural) during the tenure of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh. At present, development works worth Rs 33 crore are underway under the Public Works Department in Ghandal Panchayat, along with other projects worth Rs 11 lakh under various heads. He informed that Government Degree College, Dhami, which was damaged due to heavy rains, was being renovated at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Anirudh Singh credited former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for making Shimla (rural) a hub of educational institutions. “As per the vision of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, nine new Panchayat Ghars are being constructed in Shimla (rural) at a cost of Rs 14.72 crore, out of which seven would be inaugurated before the ensuing Panchayat elections,” Anirudh Singh said.
