Shimla, Jul 1 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday asked Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to reopen closed educational institutions and said while 215 students of government schools have cleared the NEET in 2023, his dispensation is closing these institutions.

"It is strange that on the one hand the government is claiming to make the state drug-free and on the other opening liquor vends and closing anganwadis and schools," he said in a statement issued here.

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Thakur said Himachal Pradesh is a hilly state with tough topography and in order to make quality education accessible to all students, especially in remote and far-flung areas, more educational institutions should be opened. "But the government has recently de-notified two degree colleges in Bilaspur and Solan districts, which were functional since 2021," the former chief minister added.

Meanwhile, state BJP media co-incharge Karan Nanda led the mass contact programme in Chaura Maidan area in Shimla and apprised the residents regarding the achievements of the Modi government.

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The reversal of decisions of the previous BJP government in Himachal Pradesh by the present regime is "unfortunate and regressive" and the government should adopt a positive attitude, he said.

The Union government has given a "big gift" to Shimla in the shape of the Shimla Smart City project under which projects worth Rs 2,900 crore are being implemented and recently, Rs 34.57 crore have been released which would help speed up the pace of projects, Nanda added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)