Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday launched the Mukhya Mantri Sporting Abilities, Rebuilding Aspirations and Livelihood Scheme (SABAL) from his home assembly segment Nadaun.
He also announced to set up a 'Rajya Chayan Aayog' in place of the now-dissolved Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission in Hamirpur within the next two months to ensure fairness in the selection criteria of candidates.
The SABAL scheme intends to take care of specially-abled children in around 400 schools across Hamirpur, Solan and Shimla districts. Sukhu said the Sabal Yojana is aimed at improving the lives of specially-abled children in the state. The initiative focuses on providing essential facilities and opportunities for them. He said the state government has made a provision of two percent reservation in government jobs for specially-abled individuals and the recruitment process for this, was set to commence on a mission mode shortly.
The chief minister announced to set up 'Rajya Chayan Aayog' in place of the Staff Selection Commission in Hamirpur within the next two months. He said the government is committed to bringing transparency and ensuring a merit-based selection process. During the tenure of the previous BJP government, the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC) had become the hub of corruption selling question papers, he alleged.
He said 6,000 teachers will be recruited through this new commission soon and the state government would conduct examinations for recruitment of more than 10,000 people this year.
The HPSSC was dissolved in February 2023, two months after the paper leak was unearthed on December 23, 2022 when the vigilance arrested senior assistant of commission Uma Azad with solved question paper and Rs 2.5 lakh in cash. So far no new commission has been constituted.
Sukhu also criticized the opposition for the state's fiscal health condition and said that despite massive damage during the monsoon, incurring losses of more than Rs 12,000 crore, the state BJP leaders have failed to take up the issue of financial assistance from its central leadership. There was a huge loss to both public and private property due to floods, landslides and cloudbursts including loss of human lives and livestock but despite the present government's plea to declare the tragedy as a national calamity, the central government has given a deaf ear to it, he said.