Nadda in HP: ‘Height of mismanagement, state govt returning central funds for big projects’

BJP national president and Union Minister for Health and Fertilisers JP Nadda, while addressing a press conference at Kangra today, criticised the Congress government in the state for “returning money” given by the Union Government for developmental works. He said the Himachal Pradesh Government was the only government in the country to do so.

“This government is among the most corrupt governments of the Congress. It has displayed the height of mismanagement. It is accusing the Union Government of not allotting funds to Himachal. I ask which money is due from the Centre.” Nadda said.

“The Union Government had given Rs 25 crore for the development of Medical Devices Park in Baddi. The Union Government was to give about Rs 100 crore for the project. However, the state government has returned the money. Bulk Drug Park was another big project given by PM Narendra Modi for Una district of Himachal. The Union Government had committed Rs 1,000 crore for the Bulk Drug Park and had given Rs 225 crore as the first instalment. It has been two years but the amount has not been utilised by the state government,” he said.

He alleged that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had been trying to build a narrative that the Union Government was not helping Himachal Pradesh but in the current 2025-26 financial year, Rs 11,806 crore has been sanctioned for Himachal. “In the last financial year, Rs 10,681 crore was sanctioned for the state, out of which Rs 8,915 crore had been released to the state till January. In grants-in-aid, Rs 13,285 crore has been released for the state. For record digitisation, Rs 1,050 crore has been given to the state. For the expansion of the railways in the state, Rs 2,700 crore has been sanctioned.”

He said farmers had not been given compensation for their land acquired for the Bhanupli-Bilaspur railway line, despite the fact that the Union Government had released the money. “The Kisan Credit Card limit has been raised from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh due which 10 lakh farmers benefited. A total of 38,000 houses were given under the PM Awas Yojna,” said Nadda.

He further said that Central projects like AIIMS and IIM were given to the state by the Modi government.  A sum of Rs 1,782 crore was given for rain disaster in Himachal. The distribution of the fund, however, was a matter of investigation, he said.

“If CM Sukhu cannot run the government, he should please step down. It has never happened in the history of Himachal Pradesh that the treasury was closed on March 31, he said.

He further said that many health projects that were given by the Union Government to Himachal as integrated public health laboratories had been not executed. “A national centre for disease control was sanctioned for the state, but it has not been executed,” Nadda said.

JP Nadda said that he was in Chamba district to check the progress of the aspirational district project. “The district has progressed well on many parameters but there are some discrepancies in some areas that I have pointed out to the district administration,” he said.

Earlier, JP Nadda was given a warm welcome by BJP leaders from Kangra district.

 

India