Shimla, November 21: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today said his government was spending Rs 140 crore annually on supplying essential commodities through the PDS at subsidised rates to Above Poverty Line families.
The state government did not discontinue the scheme even when prices of essential commodities rose sharply in the open market, he told a public meeting in Kangra district.
On empowerment of women, Dhumal said reservation for them in Panchayati Raj Institutions had been increased from 33 to 50 per cent.
The government had also launched ‘Muskaan Yojana’ to provide free denture to old and aged people through state-run hospitals, the Chief Minister said.
–Agencies