On April 15, 2017, Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 70th Foundation Day. It came into existence in year 1948 post merger of 30 odd princely states.
Progress of Himachal Pradesh at a glance:
| Parameter | In 1948 | Today |
| State’s Per Capita Income | Rs 240 | Rs 1,47,277 |
| State Gross Domestic Product | Rs 26 crore | Â Rs 1,24,570 crore |
| Literacy Rate | 7% | 83.78% |
| Electricity Availability | 6 Villages | All Villages |
| Drinking Water Facility | 331 Villages | All Villages |
Besides, there is a Govt. School in radius of 3 km and health institutions have been established even in the remotest parts of the State. 3138 out of 3226 panchayats in the state have been connected with motorable roads.
Upcoming Projects in Himachal Pradesh:
- 2238 crore has been allocated for various water supply and irrigation schemes during the current financial year.
- Work on Swan Channelization Project in Una district and Chhonchh Khad Channelization Project in Kangra district is in progress.
- 837 crore project, assisted by World Bank has been approved for providing 24 hour water supply to Shimla.
- World Bank funded Rs 1134 crore Horticulture Development Project to increase production of quality fruits has been launched. This shall benefit 70% population of the state.
HP CM launches ‘Unemployment Allowance Scheme’
On the occasion of the 70th foundation day of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launched an ‘Unemployment Allowance Scheme’ at a state level function in Chamba.
- Under this scheme Himachal Pradesh State Government will provide unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to youth having intermediate or above qualification whereas the unemployed youth with disability would be provided allowance of Rs 1,500 per month.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh also highlighted following measure taken by his Govt. for Skill Development of Unemployed Youth of Himachal Pradesh:
- Rs 500 crore skill development scheme has been started by the government.
- So far, 152000 youth in the state have been provided skill development allowance
- Kaushal Vikas Nigam‘ has been setup to implement Rs 640 crore Skill Development Project assisted by Asian Development Bank (ADB).This project aims to upgrade skill infrastructure in the state and provide employment to around 65,000 youth.
