The Congress MLAs in Haryana Assembly on Monday hit out at the ruling BJP-JJP government over the new excise policy, which they claimed would push scores of youth into addiction.
Participating in the debate on the Governor’'s Address here, Congress member Rao Dan Singh said the new excise policy will result in rise in liquor addiction among the youth. The State government should, he said, focus on curbing drugs menace, which is spreading across the State.
Terming Haryana’s new excise policy “a recipe for disaster”, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded that the government immediately withdraw the new policy.
Separately, during Question Hour, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said that to tackle the problem of stray cattle in the State, the government has already initiated the process of setting up of “gaushalas” and cattle pounds across the State.
He said that the government was also taking the help of NGOs to tackle the problem.
“Financial assistance of ₹7100 is being given by the Development and Panchayat Department to those Panchayats which have sent the proposal for setting up ‘Gau-Grah’ and cattle pounds,” he said in a reply during Question Hour, adding that the government was committed to resolving the problem.
Haryana Minister of Mines and Geology Mool Chand Sharma said that illegal mining will not be tolerated at any cost.
“So far, 25 illegal mines operating in the State have been closed,” he said while replying to a question.
Mining activities
Mr. Sharma said that mining activities in the entire State, including the district Yamunanagar, had stopped from March 1, 2010, due to litigation regarding the requirement of environmental clearance for minor mineral mining. Mining resumed in Yamunanagar district in October 2016, he said.
