By IANS
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Tuesday announced New Year sops for the poor of the Himalayan state.
“I announce the raising of daily wages in the government sector from Rs.75 to Rs.100 from today (Tuesday) as promised in our election manifesto,” Dhumal said here.
“I would expect the private sector also to raise the wages of daily wagers at par with the government,” he said.
Dhumal, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a clean sweep in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, was Sunday sworn in as the chief minister.
Asked how many people would this decision benefit, the chief minister said the number of daily wagers was being counted.
“Old age pension is also being raised from Rs.200 to Rs.300 and would benefit 237,250 (about 2.37 lakh) poor and elderly citizens,” he said.
About the proposed tunnel construction in the state he said: “We will build tunnels to reduce distances at many places to connect far-flung areas of the state.”
Dhumal said his government expected the Rs.3.6-billion ski village project in Manali by Ford Motors to take into consideration environmental concerns.
“Though we welcome the investment, the project must be in the interests of the state.
“At a time when the Ford Motors has announced job cuts of over 30,000 world wide, we need an assurance that jobs will be provided to locals in the proposed ski village project.”