Congress Govt in Himachal Failing to Utilise Central Funds: BJP

Shimla, July 3 — Senior BJP leader and former minister Sukhram Chaudhary, along with spokesperson Balbir Verma and media in-charge Karn Nanda, accused the Himachal Pradesh Congress government of failing to utilise central funds effectively. They said while the Congress leaders repeatedly blame the Centre for not releasing funds, the reality is that the state government has been unable to spend the funds already allocated.

They cited that under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, the Centre had allocated ₹360.11 crore to Himachal Pradesh from 2021 to 2025, but the state has spent only ₹78 crore so far. Out of the proposed 73 Block-level Public Health Units, only six have been completed, with tenders issued for 14 others. Similarly, critical care units meant for Rohru, Reckong Peo, Ghumarwin, Tanda, Mandi, and Paonta Sahib are still pending.

The BJP leaders further pointed out that out of ₹521 crore granted under the 15th Finance Commission for health infrastructure, only ₹128.62 crore has been spent by the state.

They also mentioned that on May 25, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met senior BJP leader J.P. Nadda in Delhi and requested assistance. Following this, the Centre approved ₹1,138 crore under the JICA project on June 30, with ₹1,024 crore as grant-in-aid and the rest as a low-interest loan. Nadda had clearly advised the CM to first utilise the funds already provided.

The BJP leaders stressed that the Centre has not withheld any support for Himachal Pradesh and alleged that the real issue lies in the mismanagement and inefficiency of the state government.