Announcements part of Congress manifesto, says Virbhadra

Shimla, Jan 1 (UNI) Terming the ''populist announcements'' by the Himachal Pradesh government a ''step in the right direction'', former chief minister Virbhadra Singh today said Rs 100 increase in social security pensions and Rs 25 in wages of daily workers were part of the Congress manifesto.

Besides these, the state government should announce continuation of food subsidy and subsidy on power to all domestic consumers, he said in a release here.

Mr Singh, in his first statement to the media after losing power to BJP in the state assembly elections, thanked Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for implementing the promises made in the Congress election manifesto UNI AS VKJ BDP AS1908