Shimla: Even as the political slugfest between the Congress and BJP continues, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri met BJP national president JP Nadda and asked for additional funds for the upcoming Rs 10,000 crore bulk drug park— one of the three sanctioned by the Centre for Himachal.
Other two bulk drug parks proposed are for Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
Nadda was in the state on his three-day tour and returned to Delhi on Sunday. During his meeting with Nadda, Agnihotri briefed him about the process of the bulk drug park, being set up at Haroli constituency of the Una district.
He highlighted the need for additional funds to ensure the swift completion of the project.
The bulk drug park is expected to transform the pharmaceutical landscape of Himachal and propel the state towards becoming a prominent pharma hub in the country. In October 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone ahead of the state Assembly polls. The project will generate jobs for more than 20,000 people and attract investments to worth Rs 20,000 crore. Agnihotri also requested the Union minister to expedite the construction of the proposed PGI Satellite Centre in Una. He assured that the state government would provide full cooperation and every possible support in the process.
Apart from this, he advocated for the establishment of a new medical college in the Una district as it would play a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare services in the area.
Nadda, who is also the Union health minister, assured full support and all possible assistance to the state for these vital projects, he stated in an official release.
Meanwhile, state health minister Col (Rtd) Dhani Ram Shandil and minister for technical education Rajesh Dharmani has accused Nadda of spreading lies about the Centre having given liberal funding to the state, which the “corrupted Congress government has misused”. They asked BJP national president Nadda to refrain from misleading the people of Himachal, stating there has not been a single allegation of corruption against the Congress during its 20-month tenure.