Himachal Assembly Monsoon Session concludes with 91 pc productivity

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Speaker highlights 91% productivity and key legislative business as government and opposition trade charges over jobs, development and political vendetta

Shimla , September 3

The 10-day Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly concluded on Thursday with the singing of the national song. Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said the session, held from August 21 to September 3, recorded 91 percent productivity and lasted 45 hours and 30 minutes.

Pathania said 514 starred and 272 unstarred questions were answered during the session. The House held detailed discussions on 14 issues under Rule 62, while health services and employment guarantees were discussed at length under Rule 130.

As many as 34 local issues were raised during Zero Hour. Eleven government bills were introduced and passed, while 44 reports of Assembly committees and CAG reports were tabled in the House. Non-Government Members’ Day was observed on August 27, while five resolutions were moved under Rule 101, two of which passed unanimously.

The Speaker also announced that MLAs’ vehicles would now carry official flags issued by the Assembly. He said the move would particularly help newly elected legislators identify themselves while travelling.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan said the session witnessed discussions on several important public issues and the passage of key bills. He accused the opposition of adopting a negative approach.

Chauhan claimed that the government had provided 32,000 government jobs and created 1.62 lakh employment opportunities during its nearly four-year tenure. He said the government would provide 50,000 government jobs by the end of this year.

On the government’s guarantees, Chauhan said the government still had more than a year left in its tenure and would fulfill all its guarantees.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, however, criticized the government, alleging that it was in a hurry and that the atmosphere in the House remained chaotic. He claimed that officials were also not taking the government seriously and alleged that no official was present inside the House on the final day.

Thakur further alleged that BJP MLAs were being harassed out of political vendetta. He said that if the BJP returned to power, officials involved in such investigations would also be scrutinized and cases registered out of political revenge would be withdrawn.

He said the opposition had strongly raised public issues during the session, while the government was unable to provide satisfactory answers. Thakur also accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of repeatedly making false statements in the House.

The Leader of Opposition said some bills were passed despite opposition objections and could face legal challenges in the future. He alleged that the government had pushed Himachal Pradesh into decline, with development stalled and the health and education sectors deteriorating.

Thakur also accused the government of corruption and claimed its defeat in the next elections was inevitable.