States Watch

Himachal Pradesh

Congress Tally Goes up to 43 in
68-Member House

Annual Plan Rs. 1,335 Crores SHIMLA : Annual Plan outlay for Himachal Pradesh was finalised at Rs. 1,335 crores on June 9 at a meeting of State Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission KC Pant in New Delhi. Shri Pant expressed concern that the State Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has fallen to 5.11 percent in 2001-2002 from 7.21 percent in 1998-99. Shri Virbhadra Singh urged the Planning Commission to give liberal financial assistance to fill gap in plan expenditure. He said Himachal was one of the few states which had taken a bold decision to shift the committed liabilities to non-plan expenditure so that plan size could be meaningful and practical. The Chief Minister also urged the Commission to recommend to the finance ministry to convert SLR bond of Rs. 100 to market bond on the pattern of previous year. Shri Singh said the state had started getting free power from various hydel projects this year. Himachal Pradesh would get 455 million power units this year and during 2003-04, an additional power of 311 million units. Shri Singh sought Central intervention in securing for Himachal Pradesh "its due share of 7.19 percent from BBMB".

SHIMLA : By wresting all the three Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh for which the elections were held on June 9, 2003 by defeating BJP/HVC candidates by a large margin the Congress tally in the 68-seat State Assembly rose to 43. In the Bharmour constituency of Chamba district Congress candidate Thakur Singh Bharmouri defeated BJPs candidate with the highest margin of 9692. Jagat Singh Negi of the Congress emerged victorious in the Kinnaur segment by defeating the BJP candidate by a margin of 7406 votes while Congress’s Raghbir Singh defeated his nearest rival Ram Lal Markendey of HVC by a difference of 4768 votes in the Lahul Spiti constituency.

The BJP finished a poor third in Lahaul Spiti and its candidate could not even save his security deposit. The Congress worked very hard for these elections and its Ministers and party workers camped in the tribal areas for more than 20 days and campaigned door to door. In his reaction, the Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh thanked the people of the three tribal constituencies for the massive mandate in favour of the Congress candidates. "It was a vote for the progressive and farsighted policies of the Congress led by the national party President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the present State Government and also the crusade for the eradication of corruption which had crossed all limits during the BJP regime in the State". He added that the election results had once again exposed the BJP regime in the State." He added that the election results had once again exposed the BJP which had failed to safeguard the interest of the people in the State in all fronts.

Full Marks to CM-Stokes Unity

AICC general secretary, incharge of party affairs in Himachal, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad has said the Congress had wrested power from the BJP in the State recently under the united leadership of Shri Virbhadra Singh and Smt. Vidya Stokes. "Both are senior leaders of the party, we will fight and win the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in a similar manner", he declared. He stressed the need for coordination between the government and the party while calling for forming a Manifesto Committee which would ensure that promises made by the party were fulfilled. Shri Azad has been here on his first visit to the State and addressed the first general house of the HPCC after the Vidhan Sabha elections.

- Prof. B.R. Sharma,
State Representative

Vision of ‘Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan’

JWALAMUKHI (Kangra) : At the day-long Panchayati Raj Convention held here on June 14, endorsed a draft ‘Vision of Rajiv Gandhi’ time-bound action plan. Senior Congress leaders, Shri Mani Shanker Aiyer, Chairman, AICC Political Training Department and AICC Spokesperson, Shri Anand Sharma dwelt at length on Panchayati Raj institutions. The Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh said the success of Panchayati Raj depends on the financial help to the State and assured that his government would give finances to these institutions.

The PCC president, Smt. Stokes, said the Panchayat Raj institutions were yet to be fully empowered. The leaders were of the view that the time has come to make the bureaucracy accountable to the Panchayat Raj institutions. The leaders advocated that the confidential reports of the Deputy Commissioners should be written by these institutions. Holding the bureaucracy responsible for majority of the ills afflicting society, Shri Aiyer, said it was a "big mistake" to give complete responsibility to the bureaucracy. "These IAS Officers only aspire for plum posts and hang around ministers to achieve their goals. The end result is that he who is supposed to serve the public is only serving himself."

He said that Rajiv Gandhi wanted changes at the grassroot level. Development was only possible by empowering these institutions. He pointed out that it was the result of Congress efforts that the number of elected representatives across the nation has gone up to 30 lacs including 10 lac women. Shri Aiyer said that after coming to power at the Centre the Congress would provide finances to these institutions directly so that they don’t have to knock at the doors of the Deputy Commissioners.

The Congress is holding State level conventions in each of the State capitals to pass the time-bound panchayat Raj 10th Anniversary Action Plan. Subsequently a national convention of the Congress party on or around Rajiv Gandhi’s 60th birth anniversary will be held in August this year. The other senior leaders including Cabinet Ministers, Shri Sat Mahajan, Shri B.B. Butail, Shri Kaul Singh, Smt. Chandresh Kumari, Shri Chander Kumar, Shri Thakur Ram Lal, Major Vijay Singh Mankotia and MLAs were present at the convention.

State Representative