2,035 institutions closed by Congress govt trigger assembly clash | Chandigarh News
Shimla: Closure of 2,035 institutions opened by the previous BJP govt and the subsequent reopening of 123 triggered a sharp exchange between chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly on Tuesday.During question hour, Thakur said Congress govt had begun closing institutions within two days of taking office, alleging political rivalry. BJP MLA Randhir Sharma pointed out the govt’s data went only up to Jul 2025 and sought updated figures.Sukhu said institutions should be opened only according to public need and with adequate staff. He said several institutions opened by the previous govt lacked sufficient staff and students and that the Congress govt was rationalising and merging them based on actual requirements.Sukhu also accused previous BJP govt of announcing Rs 5,000 crore worth of “revadis” before the 2022 assembly election for political gains.Thakur hit back, saying a govt had a full five-year term to take decisions in public interest. He also questioned the announcement of an SDM office in Paragpur during the ongoing census, alleging it was against rules.Thakur said BJP would review Congress govt’s decisions after returning to power. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania quipped, “First come to power.”OBC reservation decision after censusChief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the govt would decide on revising OBC reservation after the ongoing census, based on recommendations of the state OBC commission. BJP MLA Sukhram Chaudhary said only 14 of 612 MBBS seats in six govt medical colleges were reserved for OBCs, despite the community accounting for more than 24% of the state’s population.Policy for multi-task workersGovt will formulate a policy for multi-task workers, Sukhu said in reply to Congress MLA RS Bali. He said remuneration would be linked to minimum wages instead of ad-hoc increases of Rs 500 or Rs 1,000. Bali said families could not survive on the current Rs 6,800 monthly salary.Parwanoo rain damageRevenue minister Jagat Singh Negi said Solan deputy commissioner would constitute a committee to assess damage caused by torrential rain in Parwanoo from Aug 28 to 30. Sixteen villages were affected, according to Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri. Eight roads were damaged and more than Rs 13 crore had been released to Solan under NDRF and SDRF for restoration.BILLS TO COME UP ON WEDNESDAYState Universities (Amendment) Bill | Proposes stronger financial oversight, with the finance secretary heading university finance committees, and merit-based recruitment through the HPPSC and HP Rajya Chayan Aayog.India Stamp (Himachal Pradesh Second Amendment) Bill | Proposes revised stamp duty rates. For women, 4% duty will apply to property worth up to Rs 1 crore, against the earlier Rs 80 lakh ceiling.War Awards (Amendment) Bill | Proposes increasing the War Jagir grant from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 a year for 154 beneficiaries.Panchayati Raj (2nd Amendment) Bill | Proposes including daughters-in-law in the definition of family member for disqualification from panchayat elections in cases of govt or local body land encroachment.Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Amendment Bill | Proposes rationalisation of permit fees for sealed and restricted roads in Shimla.
