Vajpayee lauds Dhumal's achievements

Shimla, Oct 18 (UNI) Former Prime Minister and Atal Behari Vajpayee has congratulated Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for ''spectacular achievements'' of the hill state in many sectors in the past nine months.

In a congratulatory letter written by Mr Vajpayee to the Chief Minister, the veteran BJP leader said that Himachal Pradesh was ''near to his heart'' and it gave him immense satisfaction to know that his dream of ''prosperous and progressive Himachal Pradesh was being realised by the state government''.

He was specially appreciative of initiatives to enhance daily wages and social security pension, increase in reservation to women in the panchayati raj instititions to 50 per cent and for raising the demand of carbon credits for the state for balancing the ecology in the region.

The former Prime Minister also congratulated the Chief Minister for raising issues of national importance like railway line connecting national border at Leh in Laddakh region which was strategically important for the nation.

Mr Vajpayee also thanked the Chief Minister for launching the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna, Atal Awas Yojna for the poor and naming the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports after him.

UNI XC JN MMS1844