Vows self-reliant state, says employees will soon get DA installment
TNR News Network
DHARAMSHALA:
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has laid out his vision for a self-reliant state, reiterated commitment to release dearness allowance (DA) for government employees within a year and pledged to create a policy for the regularisation of outsourced and part-time workers.
Talking to journalist Sourabh Sood in an interview for vernacular media, the Chief Minister also addressed issues like natural disaster recovery, state finances and employment generation, while taking sharp dig at the previous BJP government for misgovernance and corruption. Sukhu reiterated his commitment to transparency and reform, even if it meant making politically unpopular decisions in the short term.
Sukhvinder Sukhu also didn’t forget to target his bête noire Sudhir Sharma, Congress-turned-BJP MLA from Dharamshala.
Referring to the attempt to topple his government last year, CM Sukhu said he had learned valuable lessons from the incident. He accused BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma of questionable financial transactions and challenged him to explain how Rs 71 lakh appeared in his bank account.
Vows zero tolerance for corruption
CM Sukhu emphasised that his government follows a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. In nearly three years, not a single corruption charge has surfaced against his administration. He assured that investigations into scams under the previous regime would continue and action would be taken based on evidence.
Focus on self-reliance, not political gains
Chief Minister Sukhu has reaffirmed that his primary goal is to make the state self-sufficient and economically strong, regardless of political consequences. Speaking at his residence Oak Over in Shimla, the CM said that political gains do not influence his governance.
Despite financial constraints, Sukhu assured that the dearness allowance (DA) installment promised in the budget will be disbursed within the current year to lakhs of government employees. He said that pending arrears will be paid in a phased manner as the state’s economy improves.
25,000-plus jobs given in 2.5 years
Taking a jab at the previous BJP government, Sukhu highlighted that during their four-year tenure, only 5,000 jobs were filled. In contrast, his government has already filled over 25,000 vacancies in just two and a half years. Thousands more are being recruited in education, police, and health departments, along with the creation of 10,000 temporary positions.
He said his government will soon frame a comprehensive policy for the absorption and regularisation of outsourced and part-time employees, offering them better job security.
Accuses Centre of playing politics over disaster relief
The CM pointed out that the state has been battling recurrent natural disasters over the past three years. While efforts are underway to rehabilitate affected families using state resources, he accused the central government of discrimination, citing the conditional approval of Rs 2,006 crore for the 2023 disaster.
He also announced that displaced families will be allotted one bigha of land and he will personally raise the issue of Forest Clearance Act (FCA) exemptions with the central government. If no resolution is found, he indicated a possibility of taking the matter to the Supreme Court.
Says he can contest from anywhere in 2027
When asked about speculations over his constituency for the 2027 Assembly elections, Sukhu said he was free to contest from Dehra, Shimla, Hamirpur or anywhere in the state. He reiterated his focus on systemic reforms to break the trend of frequent government changes in the state.
Sukhu criticised the previous BJP government for leaving behind Rs 76,000 crore in debt and Rs 10,000 crore in liabilities to employees. He outlined several revenue-generation efforts made under his leadership, including Rs 250 crore annually from JWS royalty, Rs 100 crore from Wildflower Hall lease, Rs 625 crore in two years from excise policy and subsidy reforms to reduce wasteful expenditure.
Rejecting allegations that his ministers and MLAs are being sidelined by bureaucracy, Sukhu blamed the BJP’s IT cell for running a campaign of misinformation on social media. He said he listens to everyone but acts in the best interest of the state.
