The Governor of Himachal, Shri Rajendra Arlekar ji, the popular and energetic Chief Minister, Shri Jai Ram Thakur ji, former Chief Minister Dhumal ji, my colleague in the Council of Ministers, Anurag ji, my colleagues in Parliament, Shri Suresh Kashyap, Shri Kishan Kapoor ji and Indu Goswami ji, and my dear brothers and sisters who have come from different parts of Himachal!
After visiting Kashi Vishwanath earlier this month, today I got an opportunity to take the blessings of the mini Kashi i.e., Manjha, Baba Bhootnath, Panchvaktra and Mahamrityunjaya. I bow to all the gods and goddesses of Devbhoomi.
Friends,
I have always had an emotional relationship with Himachal. The land of Himachal and the lofty peaks of the Himalayas have played an important role in guiding my life. And today when I have come among you, and whenever I come to Mandi, I am reminded of the dishes of Mandi ‘Sepu Bari’, ‘Kachori’ and ‘Badane’s Mittha’.
Friends,
Today, the double engine government has completed four years. I congratulate the people of Himachal for these four years which were marked with service and achievement. To come in such a large number and in the midst of bitter cold to bless us means that you have seen Himachal moving at a fast pace in these four years. Jai Ram ji and his hardworking team have left no stone unturned to fulfill the dreams of the people of Himachal. Of these four years, we have strongly fought against Corona for two years and also did not let the development works stop. In the last four years, Himachal got the first AIIMS. Four new medical colleges were sanctioned in Hamirpur, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur. Many efforts are also being made to strengthen the connectivity of Himachal.
Brothers and sisters,
Before coming here, I attended the Investors Meet, a program related to the industrial development of Himachal Pradesh. I was overwhelmed by the exhibition there. This has paved the way for investment worth thousands of crores of rupees in Himachal and many new jobs for the youth. A short while ago, the foundation stone of four mega hydro-electric projects costing Rs. 11,000 crore has been laid or even inaugurated here. This will increase the revenue of Himachal and will also create thousands of employment opportunities. Whether it is Sawra-Kuddu project, Luhri project, Dhaulasidh project or Renukaji project, these are going to meet both the aspirations of Himachal and the needs of the country. Sawra-Kuddu Dam is the first such dam in Asia in the shape of a piano. Himachal will earn around 150 crore rupees every year with electricity generated from this dam.
Friends,
Shri Renukaji is an important center of our faith. A symbol of affection of Lord Parashurama and his mother Renukaji, a stream has flowed from this land for the development of the country today. When the Shri Renukaji Dam project being constructed on the Giri River is completed, a large area will directly benefit from it. A large part of the income from this project will be spent on development here.
Friends,
Ease of Living, i.e., making life easier for the citizens of the country is the highest priority of our government. And electricity has an important role to play in this. No one can live without electricity, whether it is for reading, household chores, power industries and now even for charging mobile phones. You know our government's ease of living model is environmentally conscious and also helps protect the environment. The ground breaking and unveiling of hydro power projects here today is also a strong step towards climate-friendly New India. Today, the entire world is praising India for accelerating development while protecting the environment. From solar power to hydro power, from wind energy to green hydrogen, our country is constantly working to make full use of every resource of renewable energy. The purpose is to meet the energy needs of the citizens of the country and also to protect the environment. The growing installed electricity capacity of the country is also an example of how India is achieving its goals.
Friends,
In 2016, India had set a target to meet 40 percent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030. Today, every Indian will be proud that India has achieved this goal in November this year itself. That is, India has achieved the target meant for 2030 in 2021 only. This is the pace of work of India today, the pace of our work.
Friends,
Our government is also aware of the damage being done to the mountains due to plastics. Along with the nationwide campaign against single use plastic, our government is also working on plastic waste management. The recycled plastic waste is being used today to make roads. I would also like to make a request to all the tourists visiting Himachal that they also have a huge responsibility to keep Himachal clean and free from plastics and other wastes. We have to work together to stop the plastic which is scattered everywhere, which is going into the rivers and which is causing damage to Himachal.
Friends,
Devbhoomi Himachal has been blessed by nature and we have to protect it. There is immense potential for tourism as well as industrial development. Our government is constantly working in this direction as well. Our emphasis is especially on the food industry, farming and pharmaceutical sectors. And the fund is already here. Where else will the tourism fund be found other than Himachal? Himachal's food processing industries have a lot of potential for expansion. Therefore, our government is strengthening everything from mega food parks to cold storage infrastructure. In farming, the double engine government is constantly working to promote natural farming. Today, the demand for produce due to natural farming is increasing worldwide. Chemical free agricultural products are becoming the center of special attraction today. I am happy that Himachal is doing a great job and many bio-villages have been set up in the state. I would like to heartily congratulate the farmers of Himachal especially for choosing the path of natural farming. I have been told that more than 1.5 lakh farmers have embarked on the path of chemical free natural farming in such a small state and in a very short time. Today I was looking at the natural farming products in the exhibition. The size as well as the colors of the products was very captivating. I am very happy and I heartily congratulate Himachal, the farmers of Himachal, for this and urge the farmers across the country that the path chosen by Himachal is one of the best paths of farming. Today, when the trend of packaged food is increasing, Himachal can play a big role in this.
Friends,
Himachal Pradesh is one of the most important pharma hubs in the country. If India is called the pharmacy of the world, then Himachal is the force behind it. Himachal Pradesh has helped not only other states, but also other countries, during the Corona global pandemic. Along with the pharma industry, our government is also promoting entrepreneurs associated with AYUSH Industry - Natural Medicine.
Friends,
Today, two different models are working in the country to run the government. There is one model – ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s cooperation, everyone’s development, everyone’s trust and everyone’s effort). There is another model that is ‘Khud ka Swarth, Parivar ka Swarth aur vikas bhi khud ke parivar ka’ (self interest, family’s interest and family’s development). If we look at Himachal itself, then the first model which we brought here is engaged in the development of the state with full force. As a result, Himachal was the first state to vaccinate its entire adult population. Those who are in the government here are not engaged in political interests but they have focused their full attention to vaccinate every single citizen of Himachal. Once I had the privilege of talking to people virtually who are engaged in this work. It was very inspirational.
Brothers and sisters,
We were concerned about the health of the people of Himachal; therefore, everyone took the pains to deliver the vaccines even in remote areas. This is our sense of service, a sense of responsibility towards people. The government here has implemented many new schemes for the development of the people and is also expanding the schemes of the central government in a better way. This shows how much the Himachal government cares about the people and the poor.
Friends,
Today our government is making efforts to give daughters the same rights as sons. Sons and daughters are equal. Such a large number of mothers and sisters have come here and their blessings give us strength to work in this regard. We have decided that the age of marriage of daughters should be the same as the age at which sons are allowed to get married. Look, our sisters are applauding the most. With the marriage age of daughters being 21 years, they will get ample time to study and they will also be able to make their career. In the midst of all our efforts, you can see another model that is concerned about self-interest and its vote bank. In the states where they are running the government, the priority is not the welfare of the poor but the welfare of their own family. I would like to urge the experts of the country to take a look at the vaccination records of those states. Their vaccination record also shows that they are not concerned about the people of their states.
Friends,
Our government is constantly working with full sensitivity and caution, keeping in view your every need. Now the government has decided that children, the sons and daughters, between the ages of 15 and 18 too will be vaccinated from Monday, January 3. The campaign is set to begin on Monday, January 3. I am confident that Himachal Pradesh will do a great job in this campaign too. Himachal will continue to give direction to the country. Our people in the health sector and the frontline workers have remained a huge force in the fight against Corona for the last two years. The ‘precaution dose’ to them will start from January 10. Elderly people above 60 years of age who already have serious illnesses are also given the option of ‘precaution dose’ on the advice of doctors. All these efforts will not only provide security to the people of Himachal, they will also help a lot in protecting and promoting the tourism sector.
Friends,
Every country has different ideologies, but today the people of our country are clearly watching two ideologies. One ideology is of delay and the other is of development. The ideologues of procrastination never cared about the people living in the mountains. Whether it is infrastructure or providing basic facilities to the people, the ideologues of delay made the people of Himachal wait for decades. As a result, the Atal Tunnel was delayed for years. The Renukaji project was also delayed for three decades. Contrary to the ideology of delay of those people, our commitment is only for development, for rapid growth. We completed the Atal Tunnel. We widened the road connecting Chandigarh to Manali and Shimla. We are not only developing highways and railway infrastructure but also installing ropeways in many places. We are also connecting remote villages with the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Friends,
The way the double engine government has worked in the last 6-7 years has brought a lot of changes in the lives of our sisters in particular. Earlier, our sisters used to spend a lot of time arranging wood for cooking. Today gas cylinders have reached every house. The sisters have also got a lot of relief from the toilet facilities. Who knows better than you how much the sisters and daughters had to slog for water. There was a time when one had to visit government offices for many days just to get a water connection. Today the government itself is knocking on your doors to provide water connection. In the seven decades of independence, seven lakh families in Himachal had access to piped water. Seven lakh families in seven decades! Within just two years and that too during the Corona period, more than seven lakh new families have got piped water. How many? Seven lakhs in seven decades! How many in seven decades? Let the voice come from there? Seven lakhs in seven decades! And we gave seven lakh new ones in two years. How many? Water supply to seven lakh houses! Now about 90 percent of the population has access to tap water. This is the advantage of the double engine government. The one engine of the central government starts the scheme and the second engine of the state government takes that scheme forward at a fast pace. Take for example, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Taking this scheme further, the state government started Himcare scheme and brought more people under the scope of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. About 1.5 lakh patients of Himachal have got free treatment under these schemes. Similarly, the government here expanded the beneficiaries of Ujjawala Yojana with Grihani Suvidha Yojana, which helped millions of sisters. The state government is also delivering the free rations of the central government to every beneficiary at a rapid pace.
Friends,
Himachal is the land of heroes, the land of discipline, the land that enhances the pride and splendor of the country. In every household in Himachal Pradesh, there are brave sons and daughters who protect the country. The people of Himachal have also benefited immensely from the decisions taken by our government in the last seven years to enhance the security of the country and for the soldiers and ex-servicemen. Whether the One Rank One Pension decision, which was stuck for decades due to the ideology of delay, or the task of providing modern weapons and bullet proof jackets to the army, or providing necessary resources to alleviate the suffering in the cold or better connectivity for commuting, the benefit of the government's efforts is reaching every household in Himachal.
Friends,
Tourism and pilgrimage are increasingly becoming more interconnected. The potential of Himachal in pilgrimage is unmatched. This is the place of Shiva and Shakti. Out of Panch Kailash (five abodes of Shiva), three are in Himachal Pradesh. Similarly, there are many Shakti Peethas in Himachal. An important place of Buddhist faith and culture is also here. The double engine government is going to increase the potential of Himachal many times.
The construction of Shivdham in Mandi is also the result of this commitment.
Brothers and sisters,
Today, when India is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of independence, then Himachal is also celebrating the golden jubilee year of getting the status of a complete state. It is time to work on new possibilities for Himachal. Himachal has played a leading role in the fulfillment of every national resolution. This enthusiasm will continue in the time to come. Once again, Happy 5th year of development and trust and Happy New Year! Best wishes to all of you for giving us so much love and blessings. I once again salute this Devbhoomi.
Speak with me
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Many thanks!
