Rohit Thakur sharply denounces baseless allegations
Education Minister Rohit Thakur has sharply denounced the baseless allegations of opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur and his attempts to defame the present state government on the issues of discontinuation of the Mukhya Mantri Swavalamban Yojana (MMSY) and his questioning of the effectiveness of the Rajiv Gandhi Swarozgaar Start-up Yojana was not only misleading but a clear attempt to misinform the public.
He emphasized that under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Congress government has not merely enhanced the schemes started by the previous BJP Government but have introduced schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Swarozgaar Start-up Yojana-2023. This scheme was focused on promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship among the youth of Himachal Pradesh, providing substantial support through incentives, concessions and subsidies.
It was equally amazing how some opposition leaders seem more interested in storytelling than in actual governance. Their latest attempt to criticize the e-Taxi Start-up Scheme, whose success was as impressive as it was predictable, seems to be a futile exercise to misguide the youth. With the government investing Rs. 13 crore to support 114 youth wherein 91 have already applied for subsidies to purchase e-vehicles, the Yojana was fast treading to achieve its motive. Instead of celebrating the success, the opposition was busy in witch-hunting.
Not only this, the opposition leader was also conjuring up creative tales about discontinuing the Mukhya Mantri Swavlamban Yojana (MMSY). He must apply the same effort to fact-checking before making his dramatic claims. Perhaps he missed the memo that our government have kept a budget provision of Rs. 50 crore for financial year 2024-25 under MMSY. We have also sanctioned 10,340 cases and disbursed a subsidy worth Rs. 43.02 crore during 2023-24. This substantial support has created employment for approximately 1,110 individuals through the establishment of 6,819 units across the state.
May be it was too difficult for the opposition leaders to digest the fact that the government was actively delivering its promises, something the opposition struggled to do in their own tenure. The ongoing distribution of e-taxis, despite the minor hiccup of the model code of conduct, is enough proof that this government was steadfast in its commitment to the empowerment of the youth. May be it’s time the opposition focused on something more productive than popping up with yet another baseless issue after their previous flop attempts in destabilizing the government.
The Education Minister also pointed out the government’s efforts to ensure transparency and efficiency by launching a fully functional online portal for the subsidy. This digital approach guarantees that the benefits reach eligible youth without any delays, making the application process straightforward and accessible.
He said that in just one and a half years, Rs. 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Swarozgaar Start-up Yojana has already begun to yield tangible results, with the selection and subsidy application processes well underway. This progress is a clear testament to congress government’s unwavering commitment creating genuine opportunities for the youth of the state. Ironically it seemed as if BJP leaders have deep concern over the progress and development initiatives, which was conveniently overlooked during their own tenure when the rights of employees, youth, farmers and all other sections of the society were totally ignored. Perhaps the sudden interest in the welfare of the youth was just another example of how the perspective change when one moves from responsibility to rhetoric.
Rohit Thakur said that it was almost comical to see his attempt to paint efforts as a conspiracy to deny people their rights, especially when the facts tell a completely different story. The BJP leaders were scratching their heads to stay in limelight, attempting to tarnish the government’s image time and again and undermine the significant progress being made by our government with misleading claims. The Congress government would remain committed in its mission to empower the youth and create an environment where they can succeed as self-reliant entrepreneurs with ample employment and self-employment opportunities.
