ON VISIT TO HIS HOME TURF SERAJ, JAI RAM DOLES OUT SOPS

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for developmental projects worth ₹59.26 crore in Seraj assembly constituency of Mandi district on Saturday.

The projects of which foundation stones were laid included the ₹30.2 crore 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital at Dheem in Janjehli, ₹2.19 crore lift irrigation scheme for Majhakhal, Janehar, Bakhalwar and Jarol village and ₹1.39 crore flow-irrigation scheme at Bungrail Chowk in Tehsil Thunag. He also inaugurated the ₹22.33 crore tourist cultural center (TCC) at Dheem Kataru.

The chief minister later presided over the closing ceremony of the fourth phase of Jan Bhagidari se Sushashan- Himachal ka Maha Quiz based on the theme, tourism in Himachal, organised at the tourist cultural centre.

Thakur said the online quiz will help apprise the masses of the welfare schemes of the central and the state Government so that people at large could benefit from these welfare schemes. Thakur said that many ambitious programs had been started to tap the immense potential of tourism in the Seraj region and to strengthen the tourism industry. He said that during previous governments, there had been a lot of talk about developing the Seraj Valley from the tourism point of view, but nothing happened on ground-level. “The present government has implemented different tourism projects by mobilising resources and facilities,” he said.

The chief minister also transferred prize money of ₹1,000 each through direct benefit transfer (DBT) to 499 winners who performed the best in the fourth phase of the quiz.

This quiz launched by the CM on the occasion of National Technology Day on May 11 has different themes for different rounds.

The first round was based on the theme of ‘women empowerment’, the second on industry and investment’, the third on upliftment of farmers, horticulturists’, the fourth on tourism, and the fifth on ‘Swasth Himachal Samridh Himachal.’