Himachal Guv hails 'strong leadership' at Centre, says state backs decisions on CAA, Art 370

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday expressed the state government's support to the Centre on the new citizenship law and nullification of Article 370, praising the strong leadership in Delhi.

In his two-hour address that marked the opening of the assembly's Budget session, Dattatreya said the state government has fulfilled most of its poll promises.

He also welcomed the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict that has paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple.

Dattatreya said a single Constitution is now in force after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370, bringing the entire nation from Kashmir to Kanyakumari under one tricolour.

This became possible only because of the guidance of a strong leadership in the country, he said, reflecting the views of the two-year-old BJP government in the state.

My government endorses these decisions and congratulates the Centre for taking these unprecedented decisions, he said.

The Governor listed out the policies and programmes of the Jai Ram Thakur government, saying it has lived up to the promises made during the assembly polls.

He said the Centre has sanctioned to the state 327 schemes amounting to Rs 2,896 crore under 'Jal Jeevan Mission' on drinking water.

Dattatreya said Rs 597 crore has been disbursed till January 21 among the 8.46 lakh farmers in the state under the centrally sponsored PM Kisan Samman Nidhi'.

The state government has provided free gas connections to 2.76 lakh families under the Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojna, he said.

No eligible family which had applied up to December 2019 is left out, he said.

On the Global Investor Meet in Dharamshala in November, he claimed the state government signed 736 MoUs worth Rs 97,700 crore and these could provide employment to 1.96 lakh youths.

In the current financial year, 67 more villages have been connected by road, the Governor said.The state now has 37,374 km of motorable roads.

An MoU has been signed with the Airports Authority of India to develop an airport in Mandi district, he said.

The state archives digitised 16.91 lakh pages of ancient manuscripts and other archival material, he said.