PM Modi has lauded steps taken by Himachal govt to tackle COVID-19: CM

The chief minister said the BJP workers are fortunate that they are associated with the largest political party in the world, which is headed by JP Nadda, who hails from Himachal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state BJP has been in constant touch with the party workers up to the booth level, Thakur pointed out, adding that this was possible due to the optimism about the use of information technology.

Dharamsala, Aug 7 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday said the steps taken by his government to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic have been appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said the country is fortunate to have Modi as its prime minister as it is due to the timely steps taken by him that the death toll due to COVID-19 is very low in India as compared to other developed nations.

Thakur was addressing the functionaries of Dehra BJP organisational district at Bagli, which falls in the Jaswan Paragpur Assembly constituency of Kangra district. He said the opposition is making an issue over the increase in bus fares in the state. Himachal has suffered a loss of over Rs 30,000 crore due to the pandemic and to cope up with this crisis, the government was forced to take the step, the chief minister said, while accusing opposition leaders of politicising even a pandemic.

He said an effective coordination between the government and party organisation is vital to ensure the "Mission Repeat" for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2022 state polls. The chief minister said the BJP workers are fortunate that they are associated with the largest political party in the world, which is headed by JP Nadda, who hails from Himachal.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state BJP has been in constant touch with the party workers up to the booth level, Thakur pointed out, adding that this was possible due to the optimism about the use of information technology. He said the prime minister had envisioned a "Digital India" way back in 2014 and this vision has come in handy not only in effectively maintaining liaison with the party workers but also in better functioning of the government.

Thakur said the pace of development has not been hampered by the coronavirus, adding that the government has directed officers to ascertain the amount of unspent money with various departments so that the same could be used for development works. It is also monitoring various ongoing development projects to ensure their time-bound completion, he said.

Thakur said the prime minister is also considerate towards the development aspirations of Himachal. He said a poll victory for a political party is always ensured by the hard work and commitment of its workers, while exhorting the BJP workers to continue to work for the party in an organised manner.

Thakur also said the laying of the foundation for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya is a step towards realising the dream of "Ram Rajya". State BJP organisation secretary Pawan Rana said initiatives such as "Apna Booth, Sabse Mazboot", "Panna Pramukh" were launched before last year's Lok Sabha polls, which resulted in the unprecedented victory of the BJP in the country with a 69-per cent vote share.

He said the saffron party has launched the "One Booth, Ten Youth" initiative to strengthen its base at the booth level, adding that each and every BJP functionary must ensure maximum use of social media to disseminate information about the welfare schemes of the state government. State Industries Minister Bikram Thakur, Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania, Political Advisor to the Chief Minister and state BJP general secretary Trilok Jamwal, Dehra BJP organisation district president Sanjiv Sharma and the party's mandal president Man Singh were also present on the occasion.