Haryana moving rapidly to fulfil PM’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ resolve: Saini

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said that the state is progressing rapidly in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’.

Addressing a gathering at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here after hoisting the national flag on Republic Day, Saini said Haryana has made a significant contribution to the nation’s progress, and the state has become a preferred choice for domestic and foreign investors due to various incentive schemes.

Detailing Haryana’s contribution, he stated that although Haryana accounts for only 1.3 per cent of the country’s total geographical area and 2 per cent of its population, it contributes 3.7 per cent to the national GDP.

With a per capita income of Rs 3.53 lakh, Haryana ranks first among the major states of the country, he highlighted, adding that the state was also ranked first in per capita GST collection and included in the Top Achievers category in the State Ease of Doing Business rankings.

The state ranks second in the country and first in north India in providing better logistics facilities to industries, according to Saini. He also underlined the state’s prowess in sports, saying Haryana is also the leading state in winning the highest number of medals in the Olympics and other international sporting events.

“Over the past 11 years, 12.92 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises have been established in the state, generating employment for around 49 lakh people. Ease of Doing Business has been strengthened by eliminating outdated rules and complex procedures. Today, more than 150 services are available online for investors, and all approvals are being ensured within 12 days”, he added.

Saini also said that the vision of a developed Haryana is incomplete without the participation of women and described this decade as theirs. The CM said that the government has effectively implemented several schemes to make women self-reliant and cited the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi scheme. “(Under the scheme) 8.64 lakh women are being provided Rs 2,100 per month, and Rs 441 crore has already been disbursed,” he said.

Further, 15 lakh families are being given gas cylinders at Rs 500. Up to 50 per cent representation has been ensured for women in Panchayati Raj institutions, and 2.34 lakh women have been made Lakhpati Didis, the CM added.

Speaking on the law-and-order situation in the State, the CM highlighted initiatives such as ‘Operation Trackdown’, ‘Operation Clean’ and ‘Prahari’ and said they have created an atmosphere of fear among criminals.

He said under ‘Operation Hotspot Domination’ - which commenced on December 1 - more than 2,200 criminals have been arrested for drug trafficking and other illegal activities. Besides this, the ‘Drug-Free Haryana’ campaign resulted in over 6,000 arrests since being launched last year, with authorities seizing illegal property worth approximately Rs 12 crore belonging to traffickers, he said.

The welfare of farmers is the government’s top priority, he said, and underscored that Haryana is the only state in the country where 24 crops were being procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP), and Rs 1,64,000 crore had been deposited directly into the accounts of 12 lakh farmers.