HP to introduce scheme to provide loans to poor for higher education at 1 pc interest: CM Sukhu

Sukhu also said that the government would buy 10 litres of cow's milk at the rate of Rs 80 per litre and buffalo's milk at Rs 100 per litre per day from the cattle rearers as "promised".

Presiding over the concluding function of the two-day district-level Sipur Mela at Mashobra in Shimla district on Tuesday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that a scheme aiming to provide loans to poor children for pursuing higher education at an interest rate of one per cent would be introduced soon. "A scheme aiming at providing loans to poor children for pursuing higher education at an interest rate of one per cent would be introduced soon. Apart from this, orphan children have been adopted as Children of the State and the Mukhyamantri Sukhashray Yojana has been started. Under this scheme, provision has been made to cover their education fee, travel expenses once a year, pocket money of Rs. 4000 and offering financial help to build a house," Himachal CM said.

He also said that the prisoners have been brought under the ambit of the Himcare scheme and the State Government will bear the burden of the premium of the scheme. Sukhu also said that the government would buy 10 litres of cow's milk at the rate of Rs 80 per litre and buffalo's milk at Rs 100 per litre per day from the cattle rearers as "promised".

Stressing that the state government was well aware of the problems of the rural areas and would come up with a scheme to strengthen the rural economy in the coming times, CM said that the state government had fulfilled the first guarantee by reinstating the old pension scheme in the first Cabinet meeting which will benefit about 1.36 lakh NPS employees. "The state government has also started to fulfill the other guarantees of the election manifesto and will provide Rs 1500 per month as Indira Gandhi Mahila Samman Nidhi to 2.31 lakh women in the first phase. The state government had inherited the economic crisis from the previous BJP government and today every person of the state has a debt of about Rs 93,000," he added.

He further said that a scheme aiming at providing loans to poor children for pursuing higher education at an interest rate of one per cent would be introduced soon. The Chief Minister offered prayers at Sipur Temple and also released a souvenir.

Earlier, Sukhu was accorded a rousing welcome on his arrival at Mashbora. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh welcomed the Chief Minister and said that people come from distant areas to seek blessings from the local deity.

Famous folk singer Kuldeep Sharma presented a spellbinding cultural program on the occasion. Vice Chairman of Himachal Pradesh Forest Development Corporation Limited Kehar Singh Khachi, President of Panchayat Samiti Shimla Chandrakata, OSDs to Chief Minister Gopal Sharma and Ritesh Kapret, Additional Deputy Commissioner Shivam Pratap Singh and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion amongst others. (ANI)

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