Punjab Newsline, Shimla-
Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani in a press statement issued here today said that Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur is trying to mislead the people by making baseless statements. They said that cement prices are not fixed by the State Government. Cement is produced by private companies and its prices are determined by the Competition Commission of India. This fact is well known to the general public and state government has not increased any tax on cement that could have led to a rise in its prices.
They said that during the tenure of the previous BJP government, cement prices in the state were Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 higher than the present rates. The present government has been continuously taking steps to provide relief to the people from inflation. Several welfare schemes are being implemented for the upliftment of neglected and weaker sections of society.
They said that presenting distorted facts merely to gain newspaper headlines is not appropriate. The state government has taken effective steps to assist people affected by disasters. Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has introduced a special relief package for disaster-affected families from its own resources, under which the amount of compensation provided for losses has been increased manifold.
Harshwardhan Chauhan and Rajesh Dharmani said that the state government is working with full commitment for the reconstruction of houses, shops and public infrastructure damaged due to disasters.
They advised the Leader of the Opposition to verify facts before issuing statements as the people of the state are well aware of the reality. They said that the Leader of the Opposition instead of making baseless allegations must focus on the PDNA amount that has not yet been released to the state by the Central Government. The people of Himachal Pradesh are still waiting for Rs. 1,500 crore package announced by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition should also clarify this issue.