New Delhi, May 27 (). Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday urged the Center during the Eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog to transfer Rs 9,242.60 crore deposited by the state government under the new scheme (NPS) to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Issue a direction to return the amount of Rs.
Sukhu attended the eighth Governing Council meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the meeting, the momentum for infrastructure and investment, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), reducing compliance, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development, sector development and social infrastructure were discussed.
Raising the issues of the state, the Chief Minister urged the Center to issue a direction to the PFRDA to refund the amount of Rs 9,242.60 crore deposited by the state government under NPS.
Sukhu also urged not to reduce Rs 1,779 crore deposited last year under NPS from the borrowing limit of the current financial year i.e. 2023-24 and to review the decision taken on March 27, 2023.
The chief minister also urged the removal of the cap on the state receiving external aid for the next three years and sought the intervention of the central government for early approval of proposals submitted to the Department of Economic Affairs.
He urged 100 per cent central funding for the strategic Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Leh railway line and considered the land acquisition cost as the state’s contribution.
The Chief Minister also requested for inclusion of ropeway projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, besides seeking special financial assistance to complete the construction of medical colleges in the hill state.
Sukhu also requested to provide an option of CAPEX model (capital expenditure) along with OPEX model (operational expenditure) under the financial assistance to be provided by the Center for the purchase of e-buses.
Informing about the foresight and initiatives of the State Government, he said that the State Government is keen to develop Himachal Pradesh as a green energy state. Tourism development is being done under the concept of Green Himachal so that the environment can be protected and conserved.
He said, efforts are on to reduce the carbon footprints and in the coming years most of the diesel buses of HRTC will be replaced by e-buses. He said that a detailed plan is being prepared to promote green hydrogen.
He also said that after the final round of discussion with the World Bank, the Rs 2,000 crore World Bank aided project Himachal Pradesh Power Sector Development Program would be launched soon.
He further said that efforts would be made to generate 40,000 direct and 50,000 indirect employment opportunities during the current financial year in various sectors besides striving to attract investment of about Rs 20,000 crore.
The Chief Minister said that Mukhyamantri Sukh-Ashray Yojana has been started for the destitute and orphan children in the State and the State Government will do their welfare and adopt them as the children of the State.
Sukhu said that Rs 101 crore Chief Minister’s Sukh Ashray Kosh has been set up for this.
A total of eight Chief Ministers – Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), K. Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana), M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) – have decided not to attend the NITI Aayog meeting.
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