Shimla, Sep 17(FN Agency) The per capita income has increased from Rs 651 to Rs 1.95 lakh in Himachal Pradesh which has achieved many milestones in every sphere of life after becoming the 18 state of the Indian Republic in the last 50 yrs, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said here on Friday. The CM said this while addressing the state assembly in presence of President of India Mr Ramnath Kovind. Mr Thakur said that this hill state begin its political journey from being a Central administrative Part- C state after the formation of Himachal by merging 33 princely estates on April, 15, 1948 and it achieved full state hood 50 yrs ago on January 25, 1971. At the time of the formation of Himachal Pradesh the per capita income of people of this hill state was just Rs 651 per person which now gone up to Rs 1.95 lakh in 2020-21.
The total length of road has been increased from 7370 km to 37500 km after Prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee launched the PM Sarak Yojana and also helped to link every village of the state with roads transforming the hill state. There was not industry in the state per say till it was given special economic and industrial package and today the state has made a major transformation in the field of industry and helped to provide employment to a number of young people of the state. Himachal is a leader in hydro power production and a power-surplus state in the country as it produces about 11500 megawatt power out of the total 45000 mw being produced in the country as all its towns and villages are have been electrified 100 per cent. In the last 50 years all villages have been provided with tap water.
The state has also made great strides in the field of health as in 1971 there were just 587 health institutions and hospitals, but today we have as many as 4188 hospitals, including AIIMS and four medical colleges. In the field of literacy we have made quantum leaps from 26 per cent in 1971 to 83 per cent today and state is known among the best performing states in health and education. Highlighting his governments priorities Chief Minister Thakur said that he was working to increase the employment avenues and self employment in the state. A global investment meet was organised for the first time in the state which was attended by Prime minister Narendra Modi. He said that state attracted large number of tourists as successive government brought this small hill state in the tourist map of the world thus boosting the local economy. I would give the credit of great achievement made in the last 50 yrs to every government and leader as legislators MPs, as every one has worked hard to make the state among the top performing state in the country in almost every sector. Mr Thakur said that state also achieved 100 per cent COVID vaccination and did not allowed it to affect the economic progress.