New schemes in Himachal Budget to help farmers double income: CM

The new schemes proposed by the Himachal Pradesh government for the agriculture sector in its 2018-19 Budget will help farmers double their income, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Saturday.

He reiterated the commitment of the government to double the income of farmers and said that to achieve the target new schemes have been proposed in the Budget.

The chief minister was addressing a public meeting at Pakhubela in Una Assembly Constituency.

The previous Congress government in the state had neglected the Una constituency, but today schemes and projects worth Rs 20 crore have been inaugurated for its development, besides laying of foundation stone for new projects, he said.

The main focus of the state government would be on development and welfare of the poor, downtrodden and underprivileged sections, the chief minister said.

The previous government had pushed the state into a debt trap, but the BJP dispensation is dedicated to the development, the chief minister said, alleging that opposition Congress was forcing non-issues to divert the attention of people from core development issues.

The BJP government has sanctioned an IIT, Indian Oil depot, Satellite Centre of the PGI, mother-child health care centre and other mega projects for Una district, he said.

State BJP president Satpal Singh Satti hailed the chief minister for laying the foundation stone of a bridge to be constructed on Jalgran-Pekhubela-Khui-Bhadloiya road at a cost of Rs 131.69 lakh.