Shimla: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is making continuous efforts to strengthen the rural economy and increase the income of farmers, apple growers and livestock farmers.
Addressing a large public meeting at Chirgaon in the Rohru Assembly constituency, the Chief Minister announced that the support price for milk would be increased from 1st December. He said that previous governments had made only small increases in milk prices, whereas the present state government had made a historic increase in the support price. He added that further increases in the future would help increase the income of livestock farmers.
The state is also developing 300 Schools of Excellence. The aim is to provide children in rural areas with better education close to home and reduce the financial burden on parents who otherwise have to spend more on private education.
He said that during the disaster, 23,000 houses in the state were completely destroyed. The present Congress government had increased financial assistance for such houses from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 7.5 lakh and it had now been increased further to Rs. 8 lakh.
