BJP stages walkout in HP Assembly

Opposition BJP in Himachal Pradesh Assembly today staged a walkout complaining that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh did not refer to allowance for the unemployed during the debate.
When Singh started speaking in the Assembly about filling vacant posts in schools and recruitment of teachers, BJP legislator Suresh Bharadwaj alleged the government had not referred to unemployment allowance and then staged a walkout along with other party MLAs.
"The way they have staged a walkout shows it was pre-planned. The government is concerned about the unemployed youths and has constituted Skill Development Corporation for them," the Chief Minister said.
A Rs 500 crore skill development scheme has been launched under which unemployed youths are getting monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and so far 1,01,601 persons have benefitted from it, he said.

Claiming that the state government had taken lead in the implementation of Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), he said this is a progressive step which would "widen the horizon" of the students.
Students were facing the problems in admission in certain courses in outside universities, but this will be sorted out once all universities switch to RUSA, Singh said.

Social security pension has been increased from Rs 450 to Rs 600 per month and 3,39,921 people are its beneficiaries, he said, adding several schemes have been launched for women under "Beti Bachao" programme and the honorarium of freedom fighters has been raised from Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000.

Referring to the recent panchayat polls in the state, the Chief Minister said "it is a positive sign for the government that most of the people, who contested the polls, were from Congress ideology."
Under MNREGA, Rs 1474. 34 crore had been spent, Singh said, adding 1,200 buses have been added to the fleet of Himachal Roads Transport Corporation
Referring to allegations of irregularities in purchase of electricity meters, the Chief Minister said out of 4.80 lakh meters purchased in three instalments at a cost of over Rs 32.81 crore, some bought from Delhi Control Devices, Noida were found defective.

The firm has been penalised, disqualified from procuring future orders and the guarantee of Rs 75.65 lakh was forfeited, he added.