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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday issued instructions to the Municipal Corporation Shimla to improve tourist facilities and cleanliness in the city. After visiting Mall Road in Shimla and other areas on Saturday evening, he said it must be ensured that vendors do not charge more than the fixed prices for food items and other goods.
He said that the rules and standards set by the Directorate of Health Safety and Regulation and the Food Safety and Standards Authority must be strictly enforced to maintain food quality, safety and hygiene. He said that to ensure the safe disposal of waste, the MC must act proactively and strictly, as this strongly affects the state's image. The Chief Minister said that tourists visiting Shimla should have an excellent experience, while the needs of local residents must also be given equal importance. He added that the state government is improving public services in urban areas and making them easier to access. He said that the state government has recently launched the second phase of the Citizen Connect Programme under the theme "Clean City, Prosperous City". Keeping in mind the growing population, increasing urbanisation, and changing citizen needs, the government was setting a new, inclusive, and sustainable direction for urban development. The Chief Minister announced an important decision to benefit small shopkeepers under the Mukhyamantri Laghu Dukandar Kalyan Yojana. Under this scheme, shopkeepers with outstanding loans of up to rupees one lakh whose accounts have been declared non-performing assets by banks will be offered a one-time settlement of up to rupees one lakh. Similarly, shopkeepers with loans between rupees one lakh and rupees two lakh would receive one-time assistance of up to rupees one lakh. He said urban services have been digitised through the Citizen Service Portal. In the first phase, nine online services were introduced, and more than 2.5 lakh citizens have been registered. In the second phase, nine additional services have been added to improve transparency and reduce the gap between the government and the public. The Chief Minister said that under the Digital Door Plate system, every urban household was being given a unique digital identity. This initiative would bring greater transparency and accountability to urban governance. (ANI)
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