Harsh Mahajan Praises Special Budget for Himachal Pradesh
Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan expressed his gratitude towards the Union Budget 2024, highlighting the special attention given to Himachal Pradesh. He mentioned that the budget includes Rs 2,698 crore for railway development in the state, which is a record allocation. Mahajan noted that the budget allocation for railway development during the NDA regime is 25 times higher than during the UPA regime.
He also pointed out that the railways have completed 100% electrification work in the state, except for narrow gauge. Four stations, including Shimla, are being constructed to world-class standards. The stations include Amb-Andaura, Baijnath Paprola, Palampur, and Shimla. Additionally, work on the Bhanupalli Bilaspur-Bari, Chandigarh-Baddi, and Nangal Dam-Talwara railway lines is progressing rapidly.
Mahajan mentioned that Rs 300 crore has been allocated for the Chandigarh-Baddi railway line project, which was announced in the interim budget. Ambala Division DRM Mandeep Singh Bhatia added that the Railways had announced this project in 2007, and it is 33.23 km long. A budget of Rs 500 crore has been released for the Nangal Ham-Talwara railway line and Rs 1700 crore for the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Bari railway line.
However, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu criticized the Union Budget 2024-25, stating that the Centre had again disappointed Himachal Pradesh by ignoring its long-pending demands and the aspirations of its people. He also accused the Modi government of trying to appease its allies due to political compulsions.
Doubts Revealed
Harsh Mahajan -: Harsh Mahajan is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, which is one of the two houses of India’s Parliament.
Union Budget -: The Union Budget is the annual financial statement presented by the Government of India, detailing its revenue and expenditure for the upcoming year.
Himachal Pradesh -: Himachal Pradesh is a state in northern India, known for its beautiful mountains and hill stations.
Rs 2,698 crore -: Rs 2,698 crore is a large amount of money, where ‘Rs’ stands for Indian Rupees and ‘crore’ means ten million. So, Rs 2,698 crore is 26.98 billion rupees.
railway electrification -: Railway electrification means converting train tracks to use electric trains instead of diesel ones, which is more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Rajya Sabha -: Rajya Sabha is the upper house of India’s Parliament, where members are elected to represent the states and union territories.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu -: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, which means he is the head of the state government.
