Dharamsala to have international convention with outlay of Rs 150 crore: CM Sukhu

Dharamsala, Jan 23 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Thursday announced the construction of an international convention centre at Tapovan here with an outlay of Rs 150 crore.

He said that the convention centre would host seminars by multinationals, boost tourism and create employment opportunities for the local youth.

The Chief Minister announced, among other projects, the operationalisation of the Public Health Centre in Yol Cantonment and funding for the construction of a bridge in the IT Park.

He said the government would not compromise on corruption and during the previous BJP government the gap between the rich and poor was widened and government jobs were allegedly sold.

He highlighted the police recruitment scam, which was a live example of the betrayal of unemployed youth.

The present government, he said, was working with transparency and initiated vigilance inquiries into irregularities in the Jal Shakti Department’s Theog division and taking strict action against corrupt practices.

He said the BJP government misused the state treasury for political benefits, while his government has been making efforts to benefit the common man.

He said the government fulfilled its election promise by reinstating the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to 1.36 lakh government employees and asserted that OPS will continue as long as Congress is in power in the state.

He said the Central government has reduced the state’s loan limit by Rs 1,600 crore and imposed additional restrictions for reinstating the OPS.

The Chief Minister said nearly Rs 9,000 crore under the National Pension System was still held up with the Central government and it was pressurising the state to implement the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).

Sukhu said the Central government has not released Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) funds for disaster-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh and that the demand for a special relief package has also been rejected.

--IANS

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