Govt to provide permanent houses to poor, says Himachal CM

Shimla, Jan 9 (LatestNewsX) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday said that the government would provide permanent houses to eligible poor families who are still living in ‘kutcha’ houses.

He said safe housing was not only a basic necessity but also a social right of every citizen and the government has been taking effective measures to ensure this. Presiding over a high-level review meeting of the Panchayati Raj Department here, the Chief Minister said the goal of the government is not limited to the construction of houses alone but to provide a dignified standard of living to poor families.

“Special attention is also being given to basic amenities, sanitation, drinking water, and livelihood opportunities,” he said. CM Sukhu said the government would fill posts in the Panchayati Raj Department on a priority basis to strengthen it besides filling the posts of Junior Engineers in panchayats.

The state government is giving top priority to social empowerment sector. With the objective of bringing the deprived, neglected and weaker sections of society into the mainstream, several welfare schemes were being implemented effectively, he said.

Directions were issued to the officers to conduct regular reviews of the progress of various schemes and the Chief Minister made it clear that negligence or delays at any level will not be tolerated. He reiterated that public welfare was the government’s priority, and reaching the benefits of development to the last person standing in society is the core spirit of “systemic change”.

On the occasion, Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister (Innovation, Digital Technology and Governance) Gokul Butail, Secretary to the Chief Minister, Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary Panchayati Raj C. Palrasu, Director, Panchayati, Raj Raghav Sharma, and other senior officers were present at the meeting.

vg/uk