HP budget has a human face: CM

Shimla, Mar 3 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today termed the 2006-07 Budget as a ''budget with a human face'' and the one that laid emphasis on strengthening of infrastructure in the state.

''The human face of the government and its concern for the poor and downtrodden is clear from the provision and improvement in the vast umbrella of the social security outline in the Budget,'' he said, while addressing a press conference, here after presenting the fourth budget of the present tenure.

Mr Singh, who also holds the Finance Portfolio, said the state economy was resilient and has achieved close to eight per cent growth over the last three years.

The per capita income, at current prices, of the state was Rs 30.138 crore as compared to the national average of Rs 25,788 crore for 2005-06, he said.

He said the government has proposed a sum of Rs 1,940 crore for increasing the road length in the state and constructing bridges for connecting about 9,700 habitations in the next two years.

The Budget proposes to provide an assistance of Rs 30 crore to the urban local bodies in 2006-07 for improving their functioning, besides an additional sum of Rs five crore for maintaining roads in the municipal areas, he said.

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