SHIMLA, Apr 15:
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh today launched an ‘unemployment allowance scheme’ and decided to regularise contract employees after three years in service, instead of the present period of five years.
Singh made this announcement at the state level function at Chamba on the occasion of the 70th foundation day of Himachal Pradesh.
Chief minister who unfurled the tricolor and took salute at impressive march past, formally launched the scheme by distributing cheques of Rs 1,000 each to ten beneficiaries.
He said all the contractual employees who have completed three years of uninterrupted service would be regularised.
Singh said the state government has decided to provide unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to youth having intermediate or above qualification where as the unemployed youth with disability would be given Rs 1,500 per month.
The state government was giving added priority to skill development of unemployed youth to raise their level of employability, he said, adding that Rs 500 crore skill development scheme had been started by the government.
He said that so far skill development allowance had been provided to 1,52,000 youth.
‘Kaushal Vikas Nigam’ had also been setup to implement Rs 640 crore Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted Skill Development Project to upgrade skill infrastructure and provide employment to around 65,000 youth.
The Chief Minister said numerous measures had been taken under social welfare schemes and as many as 3,89,168 persons were being provided social security pension of Rs 650 during the last four years, which had been further enhanced to Rs 700 per month from 2017-18 and an outlay of Rs 410 crore had been made for it.
The assistance under Mother Teresa ‘Matri Ashraya Sambal Yojana’ has been enhanced from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000.
The CM said the 42 colleges were opened during past four years in the state, raising the number of government degree colleges to 119.
He said that as many 3,138 panchayats out of total 3,226 had been connected with motor-able roads and work was in progress to connect the remaining 74 panchayats.
Over 2,000 kms new roads and 204 bridges were constructed providing road connectivity to 864 villages, h said adding that the total road length in the state has crossed 37,000 Km.
The Chief Minister said efforts were being made to ensure better health care facilities to the people at their door- steps and 21 Civil Hospitals, 34 CHCs, 96 PHCs and 29 Health Sub-Centres had been opened in the state during the last four years.
He also distributed agricultural tool kits, solar lights and water purifiers to the beneficiaries.
The CM also presented State level Himachal Gaurav, Prerna Srot, Civil Service and Innovation awards. (PTI)
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