‘Centre wants HP to prosper, never denied its share’
Shimla: Completing his two years in office at Raj Bhawan, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said the Centre wants Himachal Pradesh to prosper fast and become a model for hill development in the country.
He said the Centre never denied the state its rightful share and continued to protect its interests.
Talking to media persons at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday, Shukla said there is a need for good coordination between the Centre and the state, which is key to its development, expansion of infrastructure and fiscal stability.
“There is no question of Centre not coming to the aid of Himachal Pradesh government” he underlined yet added that it’s also up to the state government to contribute its share of funding in the projects, like Rs 250 crore remains unpaid to the Central university as state’s share of matching grants.
The Governor also gave sound advice to the state government to seek its share from the Centre through better coordination. The state ministers must meet the Union ministers and present their case well asking for funding.
Shukla identified the drug menace as the biggest challenge and claimed that the situation has become quite alarming. There is a need for all political parties and also the panchayats, NGOs and common citizens to join the fight against the drugs.
“When I came here to join as Governor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself shared his concern on the issue and tasked me to initiate the biggest fight against drugs to free Himachal Pradesh from
drug abuse.
“Since then, I have made it my mission to clear Dev Bhumi from drugs and engage the community leaders and panchayats in the anti-drug drive. I held several meetings with police and other officials and also held discussions with the Panchayati Raj minister involving local bodies. The university officials were asked to administer oath by the students to keep away from the drugs,” he said
Governor also released a coffee table book “Reflection on Tenure”.
He reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the dignity of his office within the constitutional framework and continued to fight against the drugs.
