SHIMLA:Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over a programme in organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jogindra Cooperative Bank in Solan on Tuesday evening. During the event, he unveiled the new logo of the bank and inaugurated its new building, constructed at a cost of Rs. 7.50 crore.
While addressing the gathering the Chief Minister extended congratulations to the bank's management and staff for achieving a turnover of Rs. 2000 crore which highlights that employees are the backbone of any institution. He commended the bank's efforts in reducing its non-performing assets (NPA) from eight percent to three percent and noted that the bank’s deposits have risen to Rs. 1400 crore. However, he suggested that improvements were needed in the bank's one-time settlement policy and emphasized the importance of recognizing and rewarding well-performing branches.
The Chief Minister provided insights into the state's financial management, stating that out of every Rs. 100 spent by the present government in this fiscal year, Rs. 25 is allocated to salaries, Rs. 17 to pensions, Rs. 11 to interest payments, Rs. 9 to debt repayment, Rs. 10 to grants for autonomous institutions and the remaining Rs. 28 to capital expenditures and other activities.
He also noted a reduction in the revenue deficit grant for Himachal Pradesh, which has decreased from Rs. 10,000 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 3,000 crore by 2025-26. Despite this, the government's vision is to make the state self-reliant through systemic changes.
"I will not allow the government treasury to be misused for political gains, asserted the Chief Minister". He emphasized that subsidies on electricity and water would be rationalized to ensure that only the needy gets desirable benefits. He highlighted the positive impact of these measures on the state's economy, which has improved by twenty percent in the past year, along with an increase in GST collection.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu further addressed the financial challenges inherited from the previous BJP government, including a debt of Rs. 75,000 crore and outstanding liabilities of Rs. 10,000 crore. Despite these challenges, the current government has provided a seven percent dearness allowance (DA) to employees and plans to pay arrears to 28,000 pensioners over the age of 75 this year. He reassured that it would take about six more months to stabilize the state’s economy, after which additional arrears and dearness allowances would be disbursed.
The Chief Minister emphasized the government's commitment to improving public services, particularly in education and healthcare, where significant reforms were underway. He mentioned efforts to fill vacant positions in health institutions to ensure that medical staff can work in eight-hour shifts, thereby enhancing patient care. Additionally, the Casualty Department has been renamed the Department of Emergency Services to better align with the facilities provided.
He also announced the establishment of a Center of Excellence in Kandaghat, Solan district, to provide higher education for 9,000 disabled children in the state. Moreover, a state-level Adarsh De-addiction and Rehabilitation Center would also be set up in Kotla Barog, Sirmaur district, to assist those struggling with drug addiction in rejoining mainstream society.
Earlier, Bank Chairman Mukesh Sharma welcomed the Chief Minister and provided an overview of the bank's activities, noting that the bank, with its 33 operational branches, offers loans at low-interest rates and is focused on expanding its services.
During the event, the bank's management presented a cheque of Rs. 15 lakh to the Chief Minister for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and another cheque of Rs. 11 lakh for Mukhyamantri Sukh ashray Kosh.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi, MLAs Vinod Sultanpuri and Bawa Hardeep Singh, District Congress President Shiv Kumar, Chairman Baghat Bank Arun Sharma, Vice President State Congress Rahul Thakur, General Secretaries Surender Sethi and Ramesh Thakur, Chairman APMC Roshan Thakur, President Block Congress Committee Husan Chand, President Block Congress Committee Solan Sanjeev Thakur, President Block Congress Committee Kasauli Devender Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma and SP Gaurav Singh were also present on the occasion amongst others.