14,000 Cr in tax devolution, ₹3,000 Cr for railway expansion, historic investment in four-lane and road projects: Bindal
Bharatiya Janata Party State President Dr. Rajeev Bindal said that the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Ministers’ attempt to mislead the people of Himachal Pradesh by presenting false figures regarding the Union Budget is highly condemnable. He clarified that the Modi government at the Centre has made excellent provisions in the Union Budget to ensure Himachal Pradesh’s development and that the state is being provided with ever-increasing assistance.
Dr. Bindal said that this year, Himachal Pradesh has been allocated approximately ₹14,000 crore under tax devolution, which is approximately ₹2,500 crore more than in the previous budget. This is a step that will directly benefit the people of Himachal.
He informed that approximately ₹3,000 crore has been approved for railway expansion to strengthen infrastructure in Himachal. Additionally, 2,700 kilometers of four-lane highways are being constructed in Himachal Pradesh through the central budget, with work underway worth approximately ₹40,000 crore.
Dr. Bindal said that an additional provision of approximately ₹10,000 crore has been made for roads being built by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, CRF, and BRO. Separate budgets have also been allocated for the health and education sectors. Himachal Pradesh received special assistance of approximately ₹8,000 crore from 2020 to 2026, of which ₹1,200 crore was made available last year.
The BJP state president said that the state government has stalled work for the past three and a quarter to three and a half years and is busy blaming the central government for its failures. He said that the Congress government has now started creating a new narrative—“Dreams come at night and in the morning a demand for ₹50,000 crore is raised.”
Dr. Bindal questioned, “Where did the state government receive approximately ₹6,000 crore during the disaster? Where did it go? Approximately 100,000 pucca houses were distributed among the plundered—the people of the state want answers. He asked, ‘Is the state government in power to organize protests and hunger strikes?'”
He stated that a provision of ₹95,000 crore has been made for the Wabi-Jiramji scheme, which is approximately ₹15,000 crore more than the provision for MNREGA. A provision of ₹30,000 crore has been made for MNREGA’s past liabilities, but the state government is sitting on MNREGA projects and is not contributing its share.
Dr. Bindal said that there is a huge provision of separate funds in the Union Budget for rural development, Panchayati Raj and urban development, despite this the state government is washing its hands off by simply saying that the Centre did not give the money.
He said that in this budget, the central government announced plans to make Himachal a pharma hub, a major opportunity for employment and industry. However, instead of welcoming it, the state government is adopting a negative attitude. The Modi government provided the Bulk Drug Park, but the Congress government rejected it.
Dr. Bindal said that a negative approach alone will not serve the state’s interests. The state government should understand that the central government is continuously providing assistance to Himachal Pradesh to advance in every field, and misleading the public is a failed political strategy by the Congress party.
