Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday virtually inaugurated and laid foundation stones of development projects worth Rs 34.31 crore at Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.The CM inaugurated a hostel with a capacity of 107 students at the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri (Hamirpur). The hostel has been constructed at a cost of Rs 3.63 crore. He also inaugurated the administrative building of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Tabo, Lahaul and Spiti, built at a cost of Rs 1.48 crore.Sukhu also laid the foundation stones for working women’s hostels, with a capacity of 50 persons each, at the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri, and at the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Khaggal. These hostels will be built at a cost of Rs 8.57 crore and Rs 8.68 crore, respectively, in Hamirpur district.The foundation stone for a working women’s hostel with a capacity of 100 persons was also laid at the main campus of Dr Y S Parmar University at Nauni, Solan. The hostel will be constructed at a cost of Rs 11.95 crore.The CM said natural farming was the future of Himachal Pradesh and the state govt was actively promoting it. He emphasised that the university had a vital role in encouraging farmers to adopt natural farming practices.Sukhu said despite the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) by the central govt, the state was making sustained efforts to strengthen education, healthcare and the rural economy, ensuring adequate funding for these sectors.He informed that more than two lakh farmers associated with natural farming had been registered, out of which around 1.98 lakh had already been issued certificates.Agriculture remains the state’s economic backbone, as nearly 90% of the population resides in rural areas and about 53.95% depend directly on agriculture for their livelihood, said the CM.Keeping this in view, the state govt is committed to implementing progressive policies and farmer-friendly initiatives to strengthen the rural economy, he added.MSID:: 130530403 413 |
