Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh today dedicated the new commerce block of government degree college Naura in Sulah constituency of Kangra district completed with a cost of Rs 2.14 crore. He announced a new science block in the college and to start commerce classes in government senior secondary school, Naura. While addressing a public meeting at Naura, the Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh was rated second after Kerala in term of literacy percentage and the State had also emerged as a role model of development amongst the hill states. He said during last three years, 25 new degree colleges had been opened in rural areas of the State mostly to facilitate the girl students. The free travelling facility was being provided to all students of government schools. Besides, net books/lap-tops were also being provided to 10,000 meritorious students of 10th and 12th Classes under ''Rajiv Gandhi Digital Yojana'' during the current financial year. He said that Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) had been opened in Una district, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Sirmour district. 19 new ITIs had been opened in different parts of the State and two more ITIs had been notified during the present tenure of the government. Besides, AIIMS was coming up in Bilaspur, which would ensure better health services to the people of the State.
Shri Virbhadra Singh said the prices of edible items were sky-rocketing and it was becoming difficult for a common man to purchase essential commodities. He said the NDA government should take immediate steps to check the rising prices in the interest of common man of the country. He said the State government was providing 3 kg wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and 2 kg rice at Rs. 3 per kg per person every month. All the 18,23,665 ration card holders covering more than 77 lakh people of the State had been brought under PDS and were being provided wheat, rice, pulses, edible oil and iodized salt on subsidized rates.He said India was a secular state and exhorted people to be aware of such people who try to disturb peace and harmony and divide people on basis of region and religion. He said that our soldiers keep vigil day and night so that we could sleep peacefully but on the other hand there were few divisive forces within the country who were trying to disturb the peace, adding that we should be aware of such forces. Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Shri Jagjeevan Pal listed the development undertaken in his constituency and thanked the Chief Minister for dedicating projects worth crores of rupees and for announcing sub-tehsil for Bhawarana. MLAs Shri Sanjay Rattan, Shri Yadvinder Goma, Advisor Information Technology, Shri Gokul Butail, Block Congress President, Shri Arun Rana, Zila Parishad Member, Shri Thakur Singh Mehta, Ex-President Zila Parishad, Ms. Manbhari Devi were also present on the occasion along-with panchayat representatives from nearby areas.