Himachal Monsoon session concluded peacefully, important issues debated: Harshwardhan Chauhan

Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the session, Chauhan said this was the first time the monsoon session had been scheduled for 10 days, allowing legislators adequate time to raise issues relating to their constituencies as well as matters of wider public importance.

"I am happy that this year's session was conducted in a very cordial atmosphere. There were disruptions by the BJP in the past, but this time the House functioned smoothly, and several important issues were discussed," Chauhan said.

He said discussions were held under various provisions of the assembly rules and several important bills were passed.

Chauhan highlighted the detailed discussions on improving the state's healthcare system and said employment opportunities for youth were also extensively debated.

"The issue of employment for the youth was brought by the BJP under Rule 62. The Speaker converted it into a discussion under Rule 130, and it was discussed in detail for four days. It was a very good and comprehensive debate," he said.

He said the government accepted constructive suggestions made by Opposition members, adding that the assembly was a platform where the government and Opposition could debate issues face-to-face and legislators could raise the problems of their constituencies.

"The level of debate in Himachal Pradesh is very good compared to many other states. Discussions here are held to a very high standard," Chauhan said.

On disruptions during the session, Chauhan said the House could not function for two days and criticised the Opposition for creating a controversy over national symbols.

He said the tradition was for the assembly proceedings to begin with the national anthem and recalled that BJP MLA Vipin Parmar had raised the issue of the national song during the session.

"Normally, the tradition is that the national song is played at the conclusion, while the national anthem is played at the beginning. Today, the speaker concluded the session with the national anthem as per the established tradition," Chauhan said.

He accused the BJP of attempting to project itself as more patriotic and said the controversy consumed valuable time of the House.

"The first day passed without parliamentary debate and discussion. When the House does not function, both time and public money are wasted. Both the ruling party and Opposition should ensure that the House functions smoothly," he said.

Chauhan said the Opposition had the right to raise issues, criticise the government and put forward its views, and claimed that the BJP's conduct during the session was comparatively better than in previous sessions.

On the Congress government's election guarantees, Chauhan defended the government's record and said it had fulfilled several commitments made to the people.

He said the government had implemented the Old Pension Scheme for around 1.36 lakh employees in its first Cabinet meeting, arguing that if the government's intentions were not genuine, it would have waited until the election year to implement the scheme.

"We said we would implement the Old Pension Scheme in the first Cabinet meeting, and we did it for around 1.36 lakh employees. If our intentions were not right, we would have implemented it in the election year," Chauhan said.

He also cited the introduction of English as a subject from nursery level, the launch of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools and the introduction of the CBSE curriculum in 157 schools as examples of measures taken by the government.

On the rural economy, Chauhan said the government had increased the procurement price of cow milk from Rs 31 to Rs 61 per litre and fixed the buffalo milk price at Rs 61 per litre. He also referred to support prices announced for turmeric and organic wheat and the government's commitments relating to maize.

"Most of the guarantees have been fulfilled. We have not fulfilled all of them yet, but the government still has around one year of its tenure," he said.

On employment, Chauhan said the government had provided around 32,000 government jobs so far, while recruitment and interviews for around 18,000 posts were underway through the Public Service Commission, the selection mechanism and various departments.

"By the end of this year, we expect to provide government jobs to around 50,000 youth in Himachal Pradesh," he said.

He added that the government had provided avenues for employment to around 1.62 lakh young people.

Responding to criticism that the government's promise of one lakh government jobs was difficult to achieve, Chauhan said the state's financial condition had constrained the government, but it had continued to work towards employment generation and development.

He also compared the financial support received by the previous BJP government with that available to the present government.

Chauhan said that during the previous BJP government, Himachal Pradesh received around Rs 60,000 crore over five years through Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) and GST compensation, whereas the present government had received only around Rs 17,000 crore in RDG.

"Despite the difficult financial situation, the Congress government under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has worked responsibly to keep the pace of development going and create employment opportunities for the youth," he said.

During this ten-day monsoon session, a total of 786 questions, which include 514 starred and 272 unstarred, were answered during the session. Discussions were held under Rules 62, 101, 130 and 324, while 34 issues were raised during Zero Hour. Seven government Bills were introduced and passed, and 44 committee reports were presented.

The 14th Legislative Assembly's 12th session began on August 21 and concluded on September 3, with 10 sittings lasting around 45 hours and 30 minutes and recording 91 per cent productivity. (ANI)